Birds of a Feather
by KSA Key-chan
Summary: They were part of the Organization's scientific test subjects. And now they've escaped. Four teenage boys are trying to live normally, but with the Organization trying to take them back it's not that easy. AU, slight OOC, mostly canon pairings
1. Prologue

"Looks like we're done for…ne, everyone?"

His brother let out a sad, quiet chuckle. The two others, he knew even though it was too dark for him too see, smiled just as weakly.

"Man~ I really wanted to see that girl one last time…"

"Be happy, you were actually the last to have seen your girl before this…"

"Man, ya all lucky. I ain't got a girl ta look forward ta at all."

"Don't lie man, you can't pretend like you don't have a crush on _her_."

"Sh-Shaddup!"

"Hey, don't get too loud. They'll find us."

"I don't think it really matters anymore, Aniki. This is probably the last time we'll be able to joke like this, you know, the four of us."

The truth of those words was so dense it felt like they were carrying several tons on their shoulders. Silence fell, and the air around them just felt even heavier.

"…Damn…Why did it have to end like this…"

A light flashed over their heads. Every muscle in their body tensed. They each held their breaths like they had just dived into deep water. Freezing water.

Water as cold as death.

But that didn't really matter, as long as they took that damn organization down.

"At the count of three." he whispered.

They waited. The air around them seemed to grow and more dense by every passing moment. They were suffocating. But they couldn't back down. They were like birds in a cage.

"Now!"

The four shot up and jumped out for an assault.


	2. Ch1: Choice

**A/N****: I didn't put any author note in the Prologue because I wanted it to look like a real prologue. That's why the next part is as a separate chapter. **

**Note to new readers****: If you don't particularly like the first chapter, that's to be expected. You have to read to like 5 or 6 before the story gets an actual meaning that makes sense to you. If you still don't like it by then, I won't make you read this. Especially since in my opinion the deeper we get into the story the weirder it'll get.**

**Disclaimer****: YES they all belong to MEEEEE *evil laugh* I hope you didn't seriously believe that. **

**HUGE THANKS to Mangaluva for the advice on Heiji's accent! *big big hug***

_Chapter 1: Choice_

**Several months ago…**

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Oh come on Jay, it's not like anyone's going to get hurt!"

Jay shook his head and sighed.

"Seriously Mag, sometimes I think we need to hire a babysitter for you."

"That would be fun, but I doubt the babysitter will hold out very long taking care of me," he grinned.

"Depends who does it."

Mag blinked.

"...What, were you thinking of asking Gin or something?"

"It's an idea."

Mag stared at Jay before ending up in a laughing fit.

"Gin! You thought of asking _him_? Come on!"

He suddenly stopped laughing made a pose, putting up a serious face and hands in front of his face like he were lighting a cigarette.

"I don't have time for kids," Mag growled, in a perfect imitation of Gin's voice. "If he's a nuisance, just get rid of him. Unless that's what you came to ask for?"

"I admit I was just joking," Jay chuckled "But him killing you…that wouldn't be very funny."

"Hey, I don't plan on provoking him or something, so don't worry!"

Jay smiled. Mag was incredibly immature and almost seemed as carefree as a human could get. But as his elder twin, Jay knew that Mag was also extremely understanding and knew when to stop and think about things. And about himself.

"By the way, have you seen Hawk and Sparrow today yet?" Mag asked. Jay shook his head.

"Aren't they out on a mission?" Jay asked. "I haven't seen them since yesterday morning…"

Mag chuckled. "I guess you're right. But I wonder which idiot teamed _them_ up. You know how they are when we're not around."

"Ah, but if we're not around, how should we know what they do?" Jay shrugged with a sigh.

"Oi, don't make fun of me!" Mag laughed.

At the same moment, two other guys walked in, raising their voices at each other. Mag glanced at his brother with a smirk.

"Well, that would be it, bro."

"-was the one who let our secret slip?"

"Shaddup! Ya weren't much of a help yourself, were ya?"

"Certainly more than you were- oh, hello Jay, Mag."

"Don't ignore me! -Hi guys- I ain't done with ya!"

"Well I am with you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other things that I need to take care of." And with that, he took off.

"Dammit Hawk! Tch, bastard."

"Say, Sparrow," Jay started "what was your mission this time?"

"Eh? Ah, we just had ta get some info outta some old geezer. Damn bad hearing, but pretty smart for someone like him."

"And what did Hawk mean by 'letting our secret slip'?" Mag asked.

Sparrow paled and looked at the twins in turn before looking away.

"…It went off at a bad timing." Sparrow admitted in a low, ashamed tone. "The geezer saw."

Jay and Mag both knew what that meant. Jay paled and took Sparrow by the shoulders.

"He saw?" he repeated, Mag staring at Sparrow in shock. "What happened then?"

"I…I ain't sure…I was only half conscious because a' th' pain…But I think the geezer was acting as if…as if tha' was some normal phenomenon, people walkin' around with _that_…Hawk was furious. He started takin' it all out on me as soon as I was conscious enough ta understand wha' he was sayin'."

Silence fell between the three. After a while, Jay let go of Sparrow.

"I hate to say this, but I understand what Hawk felt." Mag said. "Out of the four of us, I think he's most sensitive to our situation. Pain aside, I personally learned to live with it and don't mind it like I used to."

"Same here…" Jay sighed. "But I can't say it doesn't bug me anymore, because that's lying."

Mag smiled weakly as he looked up at his elder brother.

"Hey, guys."

They turned and saw Hawk walking towards them. Sparrow clenched his fists and shot a glare, but didn't say anything.

"I thought you were going to do some other things you needed to take care of?" Jay asked, as if he had read Sparrow's mind.

"I was, but…" he toned his voice down a little "...I met Maple on my way."

"Maple?" Sparrow repeated in a hushed voice. Hawk nodded.

"We're to meet her in the twins' room. I'm not sure what she wants yet, so if we're to know we should go"

"But…why would she want to talk to us?" Mag wondered.

"I guess we just have to meet her, then." Jay sighed half-heartedly "She'll tell us what she wants to say."

The three others nodded and walked towards the said room.

_**xXx**_

From the outside, the building looked like a normal business company. And a rather prosperous one, at that. Everyone and anyone could walk in freely, and simply look like any business company you could find. Even if outside people were to walk in, all they would see is busy people, at the reception, in the hall, taking and switching elevators, walking around with business cases or piles of important information sheets that needed read or signed, or problems being taken care of, and all the rest. The building was several dozens of stories high, offices going almost to the top, the last seven belonging to the most important people of the 'company' and that had made those seven floors to be their apartments, the last and topmost floor being entirely reserved for the president of the 'company'. The others had to share the six underneath. But, of course, the whole building and company thing were just a clever cover for the true 'company'.

The members of the Dark Ring- that was the real name of the secret Organization- would first have to take an elevator to the fifteenth floor, then change and go to the twenty-eighth floor- eighth floor from the top, right under the first apartments- before going to a special office that required a code. For the outsiders that had business with the office, there was a simple code of five numbers, and once they entered that code the door would open and lead them to the vice-president's office. But if a specific ten number code was entered, an elevator leading to the basement floors would appear. The trick was in the walls, stuffed with mechanical systems that hid the elevator perfectly to the eyes of normal people.

Thanks to highly effective ventilation and electric systems, the people wandering around in the twelve underground floors could breathe and see as normally as if they were over the surface. The first five floors were bedrooms, the closest to the surface for physical and mental comfort. Each bedroom was equipped with a bathroom, toilet room, kitchen and small living room. Room maps were the same for each place, interior decoration was up to the habitant. Floors six and seven were lab rooms, where the scientists could freely do their chemical research. The eighth floor was the scientists' computer room. That was where they stored their data on their research. Ninth floor was the communication room. Members out on a mission would either report here for the regular missions, otherwise directly to the Boss for top-secret missions that were to be kept quiet even towards your closest comrade in the Dark Ring. Tenth floor was where they stored all their fire power, and eleventh where they discussed 'battle' plans for missions that required tactic, precision, tracking, shooting, killing, the whole so it could be done in the most ultimate discretion, so as to not let the others even suspect for one second it could be their doing. Not that anyone knew of the Dark Ring's existence, but it was best nobody did. That was, let's say, the 'charm' of this dark Organization. It wasn't a shadow. It wasn't a myth. It was simply non-existent to the eyes of the world.

And at long last, floor twelve was the Boss' office.

The Dark Ring had very strict separating and categorizing, so even the five room floors were sorted out and given to certain rank members. The fifth, for example, was for the scientists, and they were given a special staircase so they could easily and quickly access the labs. First floor was for the youngest members, under fifteen. Babies born into the Dark Ring- which was not a rare phenomenon- were left with their parents until they could eat proper food before being left with the other kids. Second floor was for high-ranked members because of the comfort near the surface. Third for members that were born into the Dark Ring and that were over fifteen. Fourth for members that had joined in at some point.

How they sorted out members? High-ranked had alcohol codenames. Joiners were codenamed after trees. And those that were born into the Dark Ring…had no real name. They only had a codename, taken after animals.

The four teens, of course, all slept on the same floor, that was to say the third. They were born in the same year, and that happened to be the year they named the children after birds.

Names due to what the scientists had called the 'Wing Project'…

Hawk. His sharp eyes and mind had been of great aid in many missions and was very good with weapons. His calm personality also made it easier for him to think and make rational decisions. He was sent to the tracking team.

Sparrow. Although rather reckless, his agility had proven to be more than helpful, and his use of weapons was extraordinary, having an aim that exceeded that of most professionals in the Dark Ring. He was sent to the assassination squad at first, but he refused. If shooting people in the legs or something to prevent them from escaping was accepted, killing was out of the question. So he was muted to the tracking team instead.

Magpie. Smart and planning, he was an expert in hiding as well in the shadows as in the light, quiet or loud, taking on other people's voices or appearances. His abilities filled in for his lack of weapon-use, and was sent to the spying team.

Blue Jay. Highly intelligent, sharp and quick mind, and a very good actor. His ability to understand, remember and analyse surpassed that of an average human and knew how to use weapons. There had been a long debate about whether to put him into the spy or tactics team, and in the end they decided he could do both.

A long walk through the corridors and the four teens finally arrived in front of the twins' room. Mag opened the door and led them in. As expected, Maple was already on the sofa waiting for them, hands overlapped on her legs, staring off in the distance, a serene aura surrounding her. She looked up as they entered, first a little surprised, then smiling softly.

"I've been waiting." she said calmly.

The twins nodded. Sparrow waved, returning the smile. Hawk gave a slight bow.

"Maple, would you mind telling us why we were called to meet here? In this room?" he asked.

Maple looked back to the floor. Each of them noted the sadness in her expression, despite the resolution. After a moment, she raised her head and looked at each of them in turn.

"I want you to leave the Dark Ring."

Jay and Mag gasped. Hawk paled and Sparrow stared in shock.

"Ya can't be serious!" he said in a loud voice, Hawk gripping his shoulder to hush him down. "Ya know that it's either Dark Ring for life, or death, you of all people! Or did ya already forget Paloverde?"

"Of course not." Maple replied. "It's because of Paloverde that I am asking this."

Jay clenched his fist. Mag tensed.

"I've already contacted a close friend of his and told him the whole story." she said quickly in a low voice "He'll prepare false documents, you'll have names and will be dispersed in different families. He himself has already contacted some friends of his to take care of you. Your appearance will also be taken care of so as to change it and make it more difficult for the Dark Ring to find you-"

"Cut the crap and forget it." Jay spat acidly. "I don't care what you think, we're not doing it. Or at the very least, I'm not." Mag watched his elder brother continue "There's no way I'm following some ghost's last will or something, and most certainly not _his_. Even Redwood was more of a father to me than _him_-"

"And what if I told you Redwood has already agreed to the plan?"

Jay turned away, clenching jaw and fists tightly.

"What's this thing about-" Sparrow started.

"Why would Redwood agree to this plan?" Mag interrupted.

"Redwood and Paloverde were close friends, and Redwood knows this is what Paloverde would want. Redwood cares for Jay and you more than anyone else among the older members. Redwood accepted the plan because I agreed to help get Hawk and Sparrow out, as well."

"But…why?" Hawk asked. "He hasn't so much as _seen_ Sparrow or me. I could understand if it was to attempt to help all the younger members to…'escape', but that would mean taking down the Dark Ring entirely, and no one here is stupid enough to defy the Boss even if everyone went against him at once-"

"Redwood thought…that maybe Jay and Mag would want their closest friends to go with them." Maple said.

"I refuse Hawk and Sparrow get dragged into this." Jay replied, his eyes flashing with anger. As much as he appreciated Redwood, he was not agreeing to this plan, he was not going to let him, he was _not_- "It's as Sparrow said, leaving the Dark Ring- _and_ betrayal-" he added, addressing Maple directly, because that was _exactly_ what she was getting herself into "-mean death, and I will _not_ make _anyone_ go through this crap, or take any risks. _None_."

"What's it like, outside?"

The two twins jumped and spun around, still tense, stressed, by the plan, by the risks, by the idea they could be heard, and looked at this friend they had grown up with as far as they could even remember that was looking back at them, lost in thoughts.

"Wha-"

"What's it like ta be out there, ta have a family, ta go ta school, ta run around in the park, and laugh with friends, ta live without being asked ta spy, track, torture, kill people? I…We've never had the chance ta learn those things. We were born inta th' Dark Ring and only stepped out a' this building for missions. I didn't know what th' sun was 'til I was eight. I haven't felt snow 'til I was fifteen."

Sparrow blinked up at them, like he'd suddenly realised he'd been babbling, and shook his head slightly before continuing.

"We've been stuck here our whole life, we still live here, underground, unknown ta the world, we have th' common knowledge taught in the Dark Ring, but what about that of the people above? What's their common knowledge? Where we have ta learn different types of guns, they learn different types of animals, we learn how ta run after targets, they learn how ta run after a ball, we shoot with bullets, they shoot with waterguns- I understand wha' the risks are and what's at stake, but I think we oughta' take this chance while we can."

"Sparrow-" Jay started.

"Jay, I know what ya feel, I really do. Trust me, I'd a' never thought a' doin' this either. I wouldn't wanna do it if it meant people gettin' hurt. And also because of all the things that we'd have ta take care of- hafta prepare- outside, so we can actually _live_ that life we dream of. I wanna take that chance while the outside is _ready_."

Everything Jay could see in Sparrow's eyes up to now vanished. Now, there was only determination. Deep, powerful, burning determination.

"It's now or never."

Jay watched him a little longer before turning his head to Hawk. Jay could've sworn he was reading Hawk's mind, because he could hear his voice in his head as clearly as if he was saying it aloud, _He's an idiot but that boy is right_. Jay then slowly looked at Mag. He felt like he was looking at himself that very second, two sides of a same coin. Neither side knew what to do. The one thought maybe they could go for it, the other one would rather hold back. And the sides kept flipping.

Mag sighed, blinked, and Jay read a whole new sentence in his brother's eyes. _The decision is up to you_.

Jay thought a while longer, closing his eyes. This plan was just _way_ too dangerous. It wasn't just about avoiding people getting a little scratch. His friends'- and comrades, like Maple and Redwood for that matter- their very _lives_ were at stake. They could say no and keep on living in this underground world like they have for the past seventeen years, or they could take a chance and live a life- short as it may be- so they could taste the sweet feeling of freedom before death.

Jay finally opened his eyes again and turned to face Maple, still sitting on the sofa, serene as ever.

"Let's do it."

**Knowing there are many many smart people in this community, you probably guessed who the four guys are. If not, you'll figure out in the next chapter, as well as answers to a few other questions. Oh, and I would like to apologize in advance, because I'll not be able to update a lot. Please review anyways, and many thanks! **


	3. Ch2: Second Chance

**Umm…next chapter out xD**

_Chapter 2: Second Chance_

BOOM.

That was the third explosion already that day. Since it happened near the lower floors of the company disguise building, the members of the Dark Ring were starting to panic. Any lower and there might be a hole between the building and the underground. And if the underground was to be discovered, they did _not_ want the Dark Ring itself to be revealed.

The four teens evacuated among the other members, some using the main elevator, trying to get up there without being bombed during the rise, the rest separating to use the four secret emergency exits, so well hidden that public eyes could not find them even if they knew where to look. Jay, Mag, Hawk and Sparrow were among those that took the elevator, along with a few scientists they didn't know and several joiner-ranked members. Or so they guessed. Telling by the face wasn't easy, especially when one had spent seventeen years living in the underground and yet to learn who half the Organization was consisted of…

The elevator could hold up to six people at a time, so the four teens gathered into the first group with a young-looking scientist and an older possibly J-rank member. The scientist was rather beautiful, possibly their age, but they knew better than to mess with women like her. The could-be-J-rank had long, thick black hair going down to the middle of his back tied into a ponytail, much like Jay and Mag did, to go with his square, double-chinned face. Together they walked to the next elevator and go down to the fifteenth floor and change box. It was when the doors closed that-

"Urgh…!"

Jay dropped to his knees, Mag at the same time. Sparrow and Hawk crouched beside them.

"Jay! Ya alright?" Sparrow asked, worried.

"Back…" Jay managed to blurt out painfully.

"Damn…" Hawk muttered. "This really isn't the time…"

"Wh-What's wrong?" the J-rank asked with a croaky voice. "What's happening to them?"

"Let's say health problems," Sparrow replied, looking up at the man. "We can't let people see 'em in public like this- we have a two minute limit before- never mind right now, we just gotta get 'em outta here fast."

"I have a car stationed outside. I can take them to my private clinic to check them out-"

"But ya don't know-"

"Codename's Goldenrain. Don't worry, I know who you are. Wing Project, right?"

Sparrow stared a while as Mag started to cough and wince. Sparrow then put one of Jay's arms around his neck and hoisted him up in a standing position, acting as a support for his friend. Hawk did the same for Mag.

"I guess we can count on ya. Just hurry and show us th' car so we can get 'em safe quick."

The doors opened and they ran out- not that it was really running, but they hurried as much as they could. Jay and Mag looked ready to faint any second. The Goldenrain guy turned to the scientist.

"If anyone asks, tell them I brought the Wing kids to my clinic."

Sparrow managed to put Jay and Mag in the back of the car, and once Hawk was comfortably sitting in the front seat hey took off.

After the next turn, Jay and Mag stopped wincing. Goldenrain sighed in relief.

"Whew! That's done…" he said after slightly undoing his tie, his voice now far from being the croaky thing it was before. He even sounded…younger.

"Don't get too relieved yet," Hawk said, arms crossed, as he vaguely stared out the window at the passing buildings and light posts. "We still have the second and third parts to take care of, and that's not going to be nearly as easy as Jay and Mag pretending to be pain.

"I'm not too worried about the operation, you know," the other person said. "I'm more worried about…after that."

"Yeah…" Hawk muttered.

_**xXx**_

"…_So then here's the plan," Redwood started. "In three days time, bombs will be set around inside the building. Small enough as to cause the least possible injuries and deaths, big enough to make the members panic. Everyone will start leaving through the elevator and the hidden emergency exits. You guys are to take the elevator."_

"_Why is that?" Sparrow asked. "Ain't the elevator th' most dangerous exit?"_

"_Maybe so, but that's the only entrance and exit our comrade can use without raising suspicion. He'll come in, pretend he's a member here, and get out with you."_

"_Can you give us any hints on his physical appearance?" Jay demanded, arms crossed, his eyes watching Redwood with slight disapproval of the plan still lurking in his mind._

"_He will be in disguise, so I won't know what he will look like. You'll know it's him by his fake codename, Goldenrain."_

_Sparrow tensed at the name. Hawk turned to look at him._

"_What's wrong?"_

"_A-Ah, nothin'…the name Goldenrain just made me think of Goldeye…"_

_Mag gulped and gave a shudder. Redwood raised an eyebrow._

"…_What about Goldeye?"_

"_He's a damn bastard, that's all." Sparrow scowled hatefully. "We all agree on that, and Mag pro'lly most."_

"_That's not it…" Mag whimpered._

"_Actually, when Mag was only four, he accidentally walked into Goldeye's room and freaked out when he saw Globulos in the tank." Jay explained, Mag shuddering again. "He's had fish phobia ever since."_

"_That fish's eye was as big as my head, of course I freaked out!" Mag yelped defensively, pale and still shaking a little._

"_Ya were just imaginin' things." Sparrow replied._

"_Anyway," Redwood interrupted and everyone looked at him again, "you'll take the elevator and follow him to his car, where he will take you to his 'clinic' after confirming the false information to another member that will most likely be in the elevator with you. Just going to the clinic would be too suspicious, so it'll be up to Jay and Mag to pretend they're having problems with their situation." _

_Mag's face brightened. He loved to act no matter when or what for. Jay's face remained indifferent._

"_Of course," Redwood continued, "it won't be his real clinic. We managed to get a small apartment room not too far he can use to operate and take the tracers out of your chests."_

"_Ya think he can do it?" Sparrow asked._

"_If you have listened, then you would know this person is no doubt a doctor," Hawk commented coldy. "Of course he can."_

"_I wasn't asking you!" Sparrow replied heatedly._

"_Taking the tracers out may take some time…he will try to be as fast as possible, but it will be hard to do it in less than an hour without making any mistakes during the operation."_

"_If we sew the cuts ourselves, will it help gain time?" Jay asked, trying his best to stay neutral._

"…_not much, but yes, it would. But there may also be risks of infection if you do it yourselves. Unless you ask him for directions first."_

"_Then that's how we'll do it. And if the others can't sew-" he knew they didn't, anyway "-then I'll take care of it for them."_

"_I'll make sure he knows," Redwood nodded. "Once the tracers are out, he will drive you to the dump and throw them away. A different car will be waiting nearby, you'll leave the first where it is and take the other one."_

"_Why are we going to change car?" Mag asked._

"_Someone will see us driving away from the building and have plenty of time to mentally note down the car type, color and license plate." Hawk explained flatly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Sparrow glared, Mag sent him an annoyed deadpan. _

"_Where will we be headed?" Jay asked, keeping calm and ignoring the others._

"_A friend's, he'll fill you in on everything once you get there. We don't even know if this plan will succeed…"_

"_Make sure you only take the most important things with you" Maple added, having remained silent all throughout the conversation. "Leave your clothes and so on, just grab your weapon and anything that can't be replaced. Make sure you think of it beforehand."_

"_We…may not be seeing you anymore after tonight…"_

_Silence fell. It felt heavy. Suffocating. Hawk was the first to walk out without a word. Sparrow soon followed. The air just felt even heavier like that. Jay clenched his fists._

_Damn…how could it just- be like that? How could he be the one to make decisions like that? The others had looked at him as if he were the boss of their little group, leaving the final decision up to him, he'd accepted to go with the plan for their sake no matter _how_ much he disapproved with it, he thought they'd be free and that- hell, he thought Maple and Redwood were supposed to go with them! Leave the Dark Ring too! He so desperately believed- he wanted them to- he just _so_ badly wanted- why?-_

_He was so frustrated he thought he would blow up._

"_Can't we just forget the teary goodbye and make you come too?" Mag asked, his voice barely a whisper._

"_Sorry, my boy…"Redwood said, a sad smile drawn on his face. Genuinely sad. "But there are things that Maple and I still need to do. We can't leave the Dark Ring yet."_

"_Like hell!" Jay yelled "So, what, you're going to abandon us to nature now?" Mag gripped his brother's shoulder to make him hush down, but it didn't seem to have any effect. "When I said yes, I thought you were coming too!"_

"_...You're probably going say I have no idea just how angry you feel about all this right now," Redwood said quietly after a moment, "but I do. And trust me Jay, it kills me just as much as you to not be there for you just when you both may need us most."_

_Redwood brought his hands to both the boys' shoulders and smiled, looking at each in turn._

"_Ever since Paloverde passed away, I've been taking care of you along with Maple…I've pretty much always considered the two of you as my own sons. And the pride I feel of seeing two such fine young men standing right here, in front of me, goes beyond your imagination. If I still knew how to cry, that's what I would probably be doing now…"_

_Jay couldn't help but stare down at the floor. Everything just…seemed like it was too much to deal with. The escape, the pressure, the leaving, the feelings, the possibility of failure of the operation, the- just _everything_…_

_Jay could feel his body suddenly tense as Redwood brought him and Mag into a hug. He closed his eyes. He was shaking. _

"_Can you promise this one thing to your wannabe-replacement father?" Redwood whispered. "It's not too late for you yet…but please make sure you always remember how to cry. It can hurt your pride as a man, as a member of the Dark Ring, but never as a human being with feelings."_

_**xXx**_

Jay slowly opened his eyes at the end of the memory as the car came to a halt and the five of them stepped out, walking swiftly towards and into the apartment. The yet-to-be-introduced ally simply threw his coat aside and headed for the kitchen room, letting the foursome slowly follow him. They stopped as they reached the doorframe and watched the doctor quickly tried to do five things at a time- preparing the light, preparing the operation tools, preparing the anaesthesia (so they wouldn't feel their skin being cut open and tiny square electronic plates being removed, obviously), and-

"I'm glad we have a bit of time," the doctor said as he pulled his latex gloves on, "otherwise we'd have to do it the painful way- if it comes to that it's what I'll do."

"Which means?" Hawk asked.

"Bite on a stick and endure."

"Ouch…" Sparrow muttered, almost as if feeling compassion for those that had to suffer that sort of operation in their lives.

"Trust me, I'd rather avoid having to come to that too," the doctor said. "Who's first?"

"I'll do it," Mag replied, taking his shirt off and walking up to the table to lay down on it.

"I'm glad the tracers aren't too far into the skin, otherwise this would take a lot more time." Spy-man added before going into deep concentration and inserting a syringe into Mag's right side of the chest.

Taking care of Mag took around fifteen minutes. Doing local anaesthesia, cutting the skin open (weren't they glad there weren't any vital blood vessels right there), getting the tracer out without ripping the muscle, putting the tracer to the side and asking Jay to sew the cut back while he took care of Sparrow next after giving him indications so the risks of infection were lowered- after all, they weren't in sterilised area, so it wasn't like they could prevent it one hundred percent from happening. He told them to come see him again in a couple days so they could fight the infection if there was any or see what they could do. The best they could afford was to do a half-done sewing session and cover it with some sort of plaster anyway.

_**xXx**_

...

_Shiroi yuki mada koko ni kioku no toge-_

"Could someone please pick that up?"

Some time had passed now, and they'd just cut Jay's chest open to get the last of the four tracers out of the teen's bodies. Mag walked to the mobile phone sitting on a small table beside the wall.

"Put it on speaker phone."

Mag nodded and pressed a few buttons.

"Moshi moshi?" the doctor said, putting the tools down a moment. He didn't want to do anything stupid to Jay because the phone was distracting him.

"_It's me_," a man's voice said on the other side. "_Looks like they figured you out, they'll be there in five minutes._"

"Already? I thought we'd still have another thirty minutes!"

"It's okay, we got the tracers," Jay said "We'll just have to fix up the cut like we can in the car." He slowly sat up with a hand to the open wound in case it started gushing out a large amount of blood and looked at the phone. "Any members on the streets towards the dump?"

"_No, there aren't_," he said firmly, after a moment's silence. "_But if you want to get there before they catch you, I suggest you get out of there now_."

"Okay then. Everybody, run."

_**xXx**_

His phone beeped. He opened it and read the text message he just received.

_Operation success. Fledglings heading to evening harvest_.

He smiled.

_**xXx**_

The five stepped out of the car and walked to the door of the rather big manor in front of them after the doctor opened the gate. He and Hawk looked relatively normal, Mag was smiling, Sparrow sighed tiredly, and Jay…well, Jay looked sick and just about to fall over. Not that anyone immediately noticed, since he was the last to step out of the blue Nissan they had quickly traded against the white Toyota at the dump after throwing the tracers among the rest of the junk. On top of that, the anaesthesia was wearing off, so the roughly-done job by Mag at sewing his cut was starting to get very painful. Hopefully the doctor would check up on him soon… Thank Kami Mag looked and noticed he wasn't doing too well…he immediately came to support his elder brother as the doctor opened the door and lead them inside to a book-filled room. That was the first thing the twins noticed. Shelves and more shelves, all against the circle-built wall and reaching almost the ceiling. So high a ladder was needed to even reach the books up there…ah, there was the ladder in question. And in the middle of the room was a…bureau…

…What the….._Tou-san_...?

…No, that was impossible.

Both Jay and Mag stared at the man staring back at them. Around his late thirties, short black hair, bright blue eyes behind dark glasses, green sweater with white shirt under it, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, dark pants, black leather shoes…

The man quickly snapped out of his short absence and smiled warmly.

"Hello, my name is Kudo Yuusaku. Glad to meet you."

"Glad ta meet'cha too!" Sparrow grinned, sticking out an arm to shake his hand.

"Kudo-san, is your wife anywhere around?" the doctor asked.

"She's upstairs," Yuusaku replied. "But you don't need the mask anymore, if you just rip it off it's okay."

"Oh- of course." And that was just what he did. Jay was surprised at how young the doctor _did_ look now that his mask –and wig– were off. His hair, earlier long and black, were now short and brownish-blond. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties.

"I didn't even tell you my name yet, did I?" the doctor suddenly realised. "I'm Araide Tomoaki. If you ever have any problems, don't hesitate to contact me. Besides, I know about the Wing Project, so you won't have to worry about secrets with me."

And thus, Araide Tomoaki walked out of the room to go…somewhere else. Maybe the bathroom to get the remaining make-up off, Jay thought.

"So, you must be Sparrow," Yuusaku said, looking at Sparrow before turning to Hawk. "That would make you Hawk, and these two Jay and Mag. Sorry I can't tell the difference yet, but I'm sure Yukiko will do something about-"

"Welcome to our home, boys!" said a female voice behind them as they spun around.

The woman on the doorstep was a very beautiful person. Every inch of her body was screaming the feminine aspects of her, her bright blue eyes contrasting perfectly with her long, silky brown hair ending in curls. She had stopped at the sight of what Jay guessed must've been Mag and him, but immediately smiled to hide whatever she was thinking just a second ago.

"Such cute guests! It's almost unbelievable. So, can I go ahead and start, or does Yuusaku have yet to explain everything?"

"Huh?" Jay did _not_ understand what she was talking about.

"I might as well say at least the basic stuff," Yuusaku noddded, turning to the confused teens. "Firstly, boys, this is Kudo Yukiko, my wife." –she waved– "Yukiko, these are Jay, Mag, Sparrow and Hawk." –she nodded to each– "Yukiko will be in charge of your appearance. She will mainly just cut your hair and dye it, and give you lenses to change your eye color. Hawk especially, you cannot walk around town with such amber eyes even if you say you're a foreigner. Also, you'll be given new names and a cover story as to why you haven't been in Japan for such a long time."

Yuusaku looked at Hawk.

"Hawk, from now on you will be Hakuba Saguru. You're half-English and haven't been in Japan because you've lived in London up to now. I haven't been able to find anyone to take care of you, but according to Redwood you'll be perfectly fine living alone. Is that alright?"

"No problem at all," Hawk said almost flatly, as if it was anything but affecting him.

"Sparrow, you'll be Hattori Heiji. Originally from Osaka, you'll be living with Tomoaki-kun after having lost your parents. You've recently returned from Africa, which will also explain the darker tone of skin."

"Dude, I got tha' from my gramps. And why does Hawk get ta live alone and I don't?" Sparrow added angrily.

"We are discussing the base issues here. Whether you live alone later on or not will be up to you. For now, stay with Tomoaki-kun, at least until people know of your existence as Hattori Heiji."

Sparrow gave a semi-pouting face before getting a grip on himself as Yuusaku turned to Mag.

"Mag, your name is Kuroba Kaito. You've just returned from a world trip and have come to live with your mother, Kuroba Chikage, who moved back recently from the States. Your father died nine years ago in an accident while performing a magic trick on-stage."

That sounded…close to reality.

"Jay…you'll be living with Yukiko and me. You've just come from a world trip with your cousin Kaito. You can use the trip as an excuse if anyone asks where you know Heiji and Saguru from."

"And my name?"

For some reason, Yuusaku smiled.

"Your name…is Kudo Shinichi."

**I feel a little like it wasn't my usual writing style…some weird struggle between two styles, but that's not something you'd notice just like that x) I came up with the stupidest explanation to Mag/Kaito's fish phobia, but at least it's realistic. This is pretty much what "Globulos" looks like – ****http: /www(dot****)thejump(dot)net/id/t-goldeye(dot)jpg Just make sure you take the spaces away. Not all goldeyes look like that, but that was…a bit scary, even to me XD If there are any mistakes, please tell me. Reviews much appreciated!**


	4. Ch3: New Identity

**A/N****: I am **_**SOOOOOO**_** into "Ace Attorney" right now, I finished the 'Justice for All' in a couple days and I think I've never fallen in love with a game this fast- there's no helping it, all I can do is plan out a case or two and do an AA/DC crossover *evil grin***

**Disclaimer****: Yes I own everything, that's why I'm a great rich and mangaka sitting on the throne of a manga company with a one million worth tuxedo rather than sitting in a dusty bedroom writing fanfiction on my lost-in-a-corner computer. Yeah right.**

_Chapter 3: New Identity_

"Hmm…I wonder who I should start with?" Yukiko pondered, her chin resting on her left palm.

Jay turned his head to the three other teens. It felt strange to think this was the last time they would look like this. It's how they were asked to look like, back in the Dark Ring, so they were easier to distinguish among the other members. The four of them had the same, long, dark ponytailed hair- dark brown, so dark it looked like it could be black. Hawk's amber eyes aside, the others' eyes were so black you could see your own reflection in them. Most people had wanted to believe the four of them were brothers, but it was those small physical details that pointed out they were not.

Hawk had those annoyingly bright eyes that deserved him his name and was a bit taller than the others. Sparrow had a skin color similar to Redwood's morning coffee and an Osakan accent (or so the other members called it) that nobody knew where the hell he got it from. Jay and Mag had long fingers, and their faces had a few somewhat feminine lines and shapes drawn into them- it helped them pretend they were girls every now and then, and because of that it meant less make-up when preparing for a spying mission and therefore a more genuine appearance.

"I guess we'll start with Hawk- I mean, Saguru-kun," Yukiko decided in the end. "Your hair will be taking longest, so…"

"Coming," Hawk replied emotionlessly and followed Yukiko out of the room. Some kind of awkward silence fell after that.

"So…" Sparrow started hesitantly after a while "Whadd'all these books doin' here?"

"Ah, this?" Yuusaku smiled looking up at the (very) tall shelves. "Actually, I'm a writer, and I read through these books for inspiration."

"What kind of books do you write?" Jay asked.

"Mystery novels."

"So all these books are mystery novels?" Mag gasped, staring wide-eyed at all the colorful spines that surrounded them.

"Most of them, not all," Yuusaku replied, still smiling. "There are also quite a few books about science and medicine, some history books too. Oh, and a few translation dictionaries. I particularly like to use the english and french ones, though."

"Do you have Ellery Queen?" Sparrow asked, suddenly beaming.

"Over there," Yuusaku indicated a row somewhere close to the door, rather high but just low enough for him to reach.

"And what about Sherlock Holmes?" Jay asked, trying to hide the fact that he was getting excited too.

"Sherlock Holmes is right there," Yuusaku said, showing one of the bottom rows behind the desk.

"Mystery otakus…" Mag grumbled quietly.

"And what do you like, Kaito-kun?"

"Huh? Oh! Uh- I…I'm not much of a reader, but I do actually like Arsène Lupin."

"Arsène Lupin, hmm? They're right there." He showed another row, not too far from the Sherlock. "So, Shinichi, you like Sherlock Holmes?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah," Jay smiled, a little embarrassed. Wow, was he going to have to get used to the new name. "I've pretty much wanted to be like him ever since I've started reading the books. He's really amazing! He's always so cool and composed. Very intelligent, cultured… His observation and deduction skills are never-failing, and on top of that, he's a violin virtuoso! If I hadn't been one of the Dark Ring, I'd be a detective by now."

"Sherlock really seems to be your idol," Yuusaku commented. Jay noticed he was looking at him in a very…_interested_ manner.

"Well…yeah! Sherlock Holmes, the hero of Conan Doyle's novels…"

Jay grinned.

"…is really the greatest detective in the world."

"Ellery Queen is better!" Sparrow shot, accompanied by a glare at Jay. Yuusaku chuckled.

"Come on now, boys. All the characters in the room's novels are great detectives. But Shinichi, if you such I great Sherlock fan, then I think you'll…oh!"

"What is it?" Jay asked.

"I just remembered, there's something else you must know about your knew identity."

Yuusaku suddenly became serious. Jay frowned slightly, waiting. The others stopped whatever they were doing and listened carefully with him.

"Before, I only gave the outline of what you've been doing for the past years, but this is important for you to know. This is the more elaborate part of your cover-story."

Jay nodded.

"You, Shinichi Kudo, have spent most of your life outside of Japan. When you were four, Yukiko and I wanted to come back to Japan to raise you here, but you absolutely refused. Instead, you said if we were to go to Japan anyway, you preferred to stay with your cousin Kaito and your uncle. You really liked them and pretty much hated us back then. You were raised in California together. In the meantime, Yukiko and I came back to Japan."

"Why did you go to Japan, if I stayed in California with my uh…cousin, Kaito?"

"We came back to raise the one who refused to stay in California."

Jay blinked.

"…And who would that be?"

"Your twin brother."

_**xXx**_

He was standing in front of the door. He'd been waiting for a while now. Geez, what was she doing in there, anyway?

His ears picked up on something. Frowning, he pressed one ear against the wood and listened.

Hmm…sounded like she was talking. Who was she with? He didn't remember her ever talking to herself, so he knew there must be someone else. He knocked, and instead of waiting for an answer he opened the door, ready to say something.

He stared.

_**xXx**_

"My twin brother?" Jay asked. Yuusaku nodded.

"Kudo Kazuki, seventeen. He used to be a high-school detective at Teitan High. Very smart, scoring high marks in all subjects, very good in most sports and a soccer prodigy. He's also good at playing the violin. He would spend his time running around to help the police out during murder cases, using his sharp observation and deduction skills to corner the murderer. He was extremely famous throughout Japan."

"Used to? Would? Was?" Mag wondered. "Why?"

"Six months ago, Kazuki disappeared without leaving a trace. Nobody knows what happened to him. He's just gone."

The three teens frowned.

"Sounds like Dark Ring's doin'." Sparrow muttered, clenching his fist.

"Are there's not a single lead?" Jay asked in a serious tone.

"He's not dead," Yuusaku replied, "but he has to lay low. There are some that know he's still alive, and only a selected few that know where he is and his current condition. The Dark Ring has already tried to target him, and he just barely got lucky to make it out alive.

"But if they figure out he's still around, they'll definitely target him again, and eliminate all those that have close contact with him…" Mag said. "…That's why he's in hiding."

"Where is he now?" Jay asked.

"About that…"

"Ojii-san! Next time there's people visiting, could you please tell me?"

The three teens spun around as they watched a seven year-old boy come from the door and walk to the desk where Yuusaku was sitting. Once he got there, the boy stopped and smiled up at the guys.

"Hello! I'm Edogawa Conan."

"Hattori Heiji!" Sparrow grinned.

"Kuroba Kaito, at your service," Mag winked.

"My name is Kudo Shinichi, nice to meet you," Jay smiled.

At the mention of the name 'Kudo', the boy turned his head to Yuusaku, then back to Jay. Maybe he figured something was not quite right, Jay thought. If so, the kid was rather smart.

"Now that you have exchanged fake names, you may give each other your real ones," Yuusaku said, making everyone- even Conan- jump and look at him.

"Huh? Whadd'ya talkin' about? I mean, I understand for the three of us, but the kid?"

Yuusaku did not answer and put his hand on the boy's shoulder with a nod. The boy watched and waited before letting out a sigh. Then he turned to the teens.

"…My real name-"

"Is Kudo Kazuki, right?" Jay interrupted. Seeing the boy's stunned look, he figured he guessed right. "Kudo-san just told us that you've been targeted and nearly got killed six months ago."

"How…did you know it was me?" he blurted out disbelievingly.

"Well…Before you came in, Kudo-san said that only some people knew you were alive, and that only selected few knew your whereabouts and current condition. Had he not been one of those selected few, he wouldn't have known there were any few at all. Since he also mentioned 'condition', it must have meant that you had some physical problems. If Kudo-san hadn't talked about fake names, I would've kept thinking you were just a normal kid in elementary-school. The fact that you were Kudo Kazuki was also just a guess, but then again you _did_ react when I said my name was Kudo Shinichi."

"Hmm…For someone who's missing evidence, your guess was rather good," Yuusaku said.

"Well…I think these two also figured out as much," Jay smiled as he pointed at the teens behind him.

"You did?"

"Well…I admit I pretty much came to the same conclusion…" Mag said, a little embarrassed.

"When ya use that way of thinkin' the answer looked pretty obvious ta me," Sparrow shrugged.

The boy turned to look at Yuusaku, as if searching his eyes to know how to react. He turned back to the teens and watched them a moment before smiling.

"Not bad. I think you'd make pretty good detectives."

"Oh please, don't put me in the same bag as those otakus…" Mag moaned while the others grinned.

"Hawk is rather smart, too," Jay commented, looking at Conan/Kazuki.

"Who's Hawk?" he asked.

"That," a voice from the door droned, "would be me."

Everyone turned and stared, wide-eyed. The change was mindblowing. The Hawk they knew was gone and no longer had long, dark hair and golden eyes. It was the opposite. Short, golden-blond hair and eyes colored of dark hazel. Jay had to admit he was quite impressed with Yukiko's disguising skills.

"_Holy shit_, Hawk! Are you going to visit the Queen of England or something?" Mag laughed. Jay didn't know if his younger twin was purposely showing his awe or just having a very hard time hiding it.

"I surely wouldn't mind," Hawk smiled slightly, "but I highly doubt that would be possible anytime soon."

"Heiji-kun, you're next!" Yukiko smiled cheerfully.

"Comin'! Man, after seein' Hawk I almost think it's gonna be scary…"

"_And thus has Sparrow left the library~_" Mag said in a wannabe-narrator tone.

_**xXx**_

"Well well, who do we have here? It seems the second traitor has just walked in."

"Traitor? What are you talking about? And what are you doing to her, let her go."

"Haven't you heard? The fledglings have escaped. Someone has helped them."

"I've heard about that. But they've obviously had help from outside, not inside."

"Not quite."

"Enlighten me, then."

"They've indeed had help from the outside…a certain intruder came trotting in earlier. But I wonder how he could have gotten in? Unless someone from the inside gave him the code, he couldn't access this place. And who but you and this woman would even consider releasing the fledglings from their cage?"

"That's an extremely plausible theory, there's no denying it. But if we really were the guilty party you mentioned, why would we still be here, rather than out there to guide them?"

"That, my dear friend, would seem rather obvious."

"…"

"But, since I am a very generous person, I will give the two of you another chance. Mess up and I will personally send you to hell."

_**xXx**_

"So, those are the main lines of your fake lives, then?" the boy asked. Jay wasn't sure how to address him, actually. Mag nodded.

"Looks like it. I guess we can think up details as life goes on."

"Well, we'll have to see about that. Where did you go to school?"

"Uh…school?" Jay and Mag looked at each other.

"To be honest," Hawk replied, "we've never been to school. Most lessons we got were about weapons. For the rest, we did our own researches once we were interested enough."

The boy stared.

"What do you mean, _weapons_?"

"Oh right, we didn't tell him about us yet," Mag muttered, glancing at his elder brother. "So…how do we put this…"

"It's called say-it-out-straight," Hawk sighed, rolling his eyes. "To sum it up clearly, we're runaways from that secret organization that has caused your current condition."

The boy paled and took a step back. Jay could clearly tell he did _not_ like this.

"H-Hey, don't worry!" Mag said, waving his hands nervously. "Like he just said, we're not really members anymore. That doctor guy took the tracers out of our bodies, so we're kind of…_free_."

For some reason, Jay found he liked the sound of that word a lot.

"Those that were born into the organization have tracers implanted in their chests when they're still kids," Jay explained. "The members that join the organization also have to go through that operation. That way, the Boss can check everyone's whereabouts and sometimes even watch what we're doing."

"But even with our tracers gone, they're bound to find us someday or another." _Great, Hawk just killed the mood_. "They're smart, there's no underestimating them. Knowing that we've 'escaped', they'll do anything to find us, the Boss will be sending his top-ranked members after us, most likely."

"Please, don't make me think about it," Mag shuddered. "Sounds worse than fish."

"No kidding!" Jay would have never imagined his brother ever saying something like that.

"That's not funny. I mean it. I'd rather swim with a horde of salmon rather than meet Them. And Globulos clones to avoid _Him_."

Jay shivered. He knew exactly what Mag meant. And, really, he didn't think that any of the four had separate point of views in regards of that issue.

"Who's 'Him'?" the boy asked.

"He's nowhere near the top ranks among the H category- he's even among the lowest I believe- but on the field he surpasses everyone else," Hawk said. "He's an excellent ally, but as an enemy he's your worst nightmare. And truth be told, he doesn't consider anyone an ally."

"That's Gin to ya."

Ah, Sparrow was back. Yukiko had done her job quick enough- he even looked good. The miracles of change…Sparrow's hair was still as dark as ever, but it was much sorter, and there was some kind of fringe sticking out in the front. He'd been forced to put on lenses that gave his eyes a nice shade of bluish green. He'd been given a new set of clothes too- jeans, t-shirt, American-looking shoes, jacket and a baseball cap he was wearing backwards. If it weren't for the missing heavy gold and sunglasses, Jay would've thought a rapper had just barged in. You know, those dudes that 'sing' and do strange dance steps on television.

"From Africa? Ha! You look more American than we ever will!" Mag joked. "Kudo-san, you should change his story a bit and say he comes from Florida or something." Hawk aside, the teens laughed.

"You…said Gin, right?"

They stopped and looked at the boy. Jay was rather astounded with the sudden changes of mood. Every few minutes they would get serious, then joke, then get serious again…

"Let me guess, he's the one that turned you into a seven year old, right?" Jay asked. The boy nodded.

"That's weird, I don't remember Gin ever havin' shrinkin' bullets." Sparrow remarked, crossing his arms and staring up at the ceiling.

"That's because he doesn't, you idiot," Hawk snapped. "He obviously used a newly-developed poison they had never tested on a human before, otherwise Kudo-kun wouldn't be alive standing here right now."

"Gin carries poison around?"

"Like everyone else in the H-ranks. Learn your lessons properly, won't you?"

"Now aren't ya the perfect guy ta lecture me about that?"

"Well I'm glad _I_ know my own organization's internal functioning system."

"I'm glad I know the floorplan. Bet'cha don't know the codename of the person in the room next ta yours!"

"How did it come to this…?" the boy asked, a little exasperated.

"That's how it usually ends up," Mag replied.

"Shin-chan, Kai-chan, please follow me!~" Yukiko called out happily.

"Coming!~" Mag answered in the same tone, and the two boys left.

_**xXx**_

"Oi, Tou-san."

Yuusaku looked down to his son. The shrunken Kazuki had a serious expression on his face.

"That guy, the one who's to act as my brother…you're going to let him live here?"

"Well, yes," Yuusaku smiled.

"Why?"

"They're like birds that have never seen anything other than the inside of their cage. And now that the cage has been opened, they need someone to show them the world, and a nest to return to. That's why one of them will stay here."

"Tou-san…may I ask…"

Yuusaku waited for his son to continue. Though he pretty much knew what the question was going to be.

"…Them being here means you have contact with someone inside the organization. Why didn't you tell me you had any leads?"

"Well, Kazuki…That's because I didn't have any until three days ago. But as to how it came…"

Yuusaku smiled.

"...is another story."

Kazuki stared at his father for a while before turning his head to the two bickering teenagers. He wasn't going to question his father any further- he was pretty sure he didn't intend on telling him anything else.

But he did wonder…now that he mentioned it, how _did_ his father get in touch with one of the members? And how come these four guys were here and running away from the very organization they came from?

**Hehe, I made a video centered on Takagi and Satou, put in **_**/watch?v=2VWT6yKybVc**_** after the youtube(dot)com. Muahaha =p *ahem***

**Please review!**


	5. Ch4: Black And White Feathers

**A/N****: Um~ Here's the fourth chapter for you?.**

**Disclaimer****: I claim- I claim- I claim- I claim that I'm claiming something!**

_Chapter 4: Black Feathers_

"Honestly, you look like the two of you and Kazu-chan should've been triplets!" Yukiko giggled. "So, I'll make Shin-chan look like Kazu-chan and Kai-chan can have something a little different, ne?"

Mag nodded, smiling. Jay couldn't help but wonder where all those 'chans' suddenly came from?

"Ne, I just wondered…" he started.

Yukiko was humming happily as she pulled a plastic layer around their necks. Since she didn't have any of those like you could find by a real hairdresser, she figured that would do just fine.

"What is it, Shin-chan?" she smiled ever so brightly.

"Is there some sort of significance behind the names we got? I mean…Obviously if I'm your son I can't be anyone else than Kudo, right, and Mag can't have an other name than Kuroba, but…What about first names?"

"Hmm, well…Chikage-chan was the one to pick Kaito's name, so you would probably need to ask her…I don't know who picked out the names of the two others, it could be Redwood…"

"…Redwood?"

"Uh-huh. And Yuu-chan asked for my opinion before we decided to call you Shinichi."

Yukiko bent down and put her arms around Jay, resting her chin on his shoulder and looking at their reflection in the mirror.

"You're a smart boy, I'm sure, so you guess."

Jay only thought it over for a second.

"One hope one truth, huh?" Jay smirked.

"Bingo!"

"Kudo-san, may I also ask something if it's not too impolite?" Mag asked.

"Sure, just call me Yukiko-chan from now on."

"Ah, okay, Yukiko-chan. Kazuki-kun is sixteen, right? Like us."

"Uh-huh."

"But then, if we were to consider that you had him when you were twenty…you'd be around forty years old! Are you really his mother or are you pulling our leg and you're actually his elder sister?"

"No no, I really am his mother!" Yukiko giggled.

"You must be a literal example of 'looking half your age'…"

"You think so?" Jay asked with a teasing grin. "I thought she could look like our aunt."

Well, that remark got him to have dearest Yukiko pulling on his cheek with an I-dare-you-to-say-that-again look.

"Owowowowow!"

Mag couldn't help but laugh.

_**xXx**_

"Shaddap, ya snob!"

"You tell me to shut up, but for all I know you are the loudest of us two."

"Someone tell me why the hell ya ended up bein' born the same year as me!"

"That's a rude way of phrasing it, you know."

"Can I ask what being born in the same year has to do with anything?"

The teens turned to look at the boy, who was decidedly annoyed enough to throw in anything to make them stop. If Sparrow was yelling just two seconds ago, you couldn't see any of it in his face anymore. He even looked up to the ceiling, thinking.

"How should I put it…" he wondered.

"Us being born in the same year means we are all bonded by the same thing," Hawk explained, just as oblivious to the preceding bickering as Sparrow. "And that includes Jay and Mag."

"Jay and Mag…?"

"Oh yeah, we didn't tell ya our real names yet didn't we?" Sparrow realized. "I'm Sparrow, and this is Hawk. Jay is the one that'll be Kudo and Mag is Kuroba."

"That's a lot of names to remember, even I'm not sure I'll know them all until next week…I'll just stick to the fake names, then- Wait, you said those are your _real_ names? Aren't those just code names?"

Hawk shook his head.

"If we consider those our codenames, then we don't have real names. Seeing as what we are, they didn't bother."

"_Huh?_"

Kazuki stared a while, thinking. The more they talked about it, the less he understood. What was going on? Who were they? And what did Hawk mean by 'what' they were? Did he really say it as if the Organization considered them as objects? Well, after what he'd seen probably any member was considered an object and referred to each other and as such, but…would they really consider themselves as _objects_?

…No. The 'what' was because they were raised to be killing machines, he was almost sure of it. But…they way they talked, they way they fought, they way they laughed…

…Were they really just there to kill people that were in their way?

"Kazuki-kun?"

He blinked. Sparrow was staring at him.

"Ya zoned out there for a moment. Thinkin' about somethin' creepy?"

"A-Ah, sorry…I was thinking, but…"

"Wow, you look quite different!"

Yep, the doctor they almost forgot was still in the house just came through the door.

"Whadd'ya think?" Sparrow grinned. "Yukiko's hair cuts are awesome!"

"Araide-san, was it?" Hawk smiled politely. "I don't think we've had the chance to thank you properly for helping us."

"Wha- Oh! D-Don't worry about it, it was nothing."

"Don't make it sound like it's part of your everyday schedule. You risked your life for a bunch of strangers, of course it wasn't nothing."

"I guess…" the doctor blushed slightly and looked away, clearly embarrassed.

"So, can we still count on ya?" Sparrow asked. "I mean, ya already did a lot an' all, so if ya don't wanna I don' think anyone'll be mad or somethin', but in our current condition ya the only one we can trust. Ya know what I mean?"

He nodded, smiling.

"I know what you mean. Don't worry, I already told you that if there are any problems you can call me anytime."

"So like what, does that mean you can't trust Tou-san and me?" Kazuki scowled.

"Nah, that has nuthin' to do with you knowin' we're from tha Dark Ring," Sparrow waved off.

"Besides, if I'm not mistaken, I think your father already knows of our situation. Don't you, Kudo-san?" Hawk remarked.

"No, you're right," Yuusaku admitted. "Redwood told me everything."

"I figured as much."

"Tou-san? You know?"

"Yes, Kazuki. I'm sorry but it is not something I am at liberty to reveal. Your new friends will tell you about it themselves…sooner or later, depending if they're ready or not."

"…What do you mean, 'if they're ready or not'?"

Silence fell for a moment. Kazuki stared at his father, then at Sparrow and Hawk. What was going on? What were they hiding from him?

"Ya know Hawk, I think we should tell 'im," Sparrow said. "I mean, it's not like it's something ta be kept secret from 'im. And everyone else in this house knows anyway. Besides, if he's like Jay, he'll figure it out sooner or later without us tellin' im."

Hawk did not reply. Sparrow waited a while before looking at Kazuki.

"I really don't mind tellin' ya, but th' thing is th' four of us agreed ta only tell certain people if we talked about it ta each other first. I don't think Jay and Mag'll go crazy sayin' it's definitely no. It's somewhat turned inta some kind of a "ask Hawk" kinda thing because he hates people figurin' out most."

"Is it that bad?"

"Depends on one's point of view, I guess. But ya can be sure tha' it's not somethin' you can go and tell anybody. A bit like ya bein' a kid again. Hawk jus' hasn't quite accepted tha' _fact_ yet. The twins an' I are only goin' along with it as bein' part of our lives 'cause we were sick of worryin' about it like Hawk still does."

"Sparrow, you should really learn to shut that babbling mouth of yours," Hawk muttered.

"He's only explaining why it's such a delicate subject, Hawk."

Everyone looked to the door again, someone now standing next to the doctor. His hair looked like it was brought into a ponytail first and then chopped off with one very well-aimed cut. There was just that one tiny strand of hair that stuck out from his neck. His bangs were a little wilder though, giving him a cool look about himself despite the rest of his neat allure, probably mainly because his clothes were a nice blue suit, along with a white shirt and red tie as well as black shoes. His eyes previously black were now a beautiful shade of deep cerulean that seemed to fit the rest of his appearance almost too well. Kazuki stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Seriously Jay, that new look is scarin' me." Sparrow grinned. "If it weren't for ya' voice I would've thought- oh wait."

"What is it?" Jay asked, wondering what was wrong.

"Are ya Jay or Mag?" Sparrow asked with a glare.

"Come on!" he chuckled "We've been together since near-birth and you still can't tell the difference between me and my little bro?"

"Mainly I've been relyin' on ya' slight voice difference ta tell ya apart…"

"Ah, that's true, Mag is a voice-changing _God_," Jay sighed, before looking around. "But if you thought I could be Mag, that's means he's not here, right?"

"Well obviously," Hawk replied. "I thought he would come same time as you."

"No, he left before I did. He said he'd come here right away. Something's not right…"

At that very moment, they heard someone scream. Everyone looked up, as if it came from above. Kazuki immediately reacted and ran, Jay almost as fast and right behind him.

"I think it came from the visitor's room upstairs!" Kazuki said.

"I'm sure it was Mag," Jay added. "And I know what it is- damn, he should've warned someone!-"

They sprinted across the house all the way to said room. Yukiko was already standing in front of the door.

"Did you hear that too?" she asked worriedly.

"It's Mag. Could you please get a towel and a bowl of cold water?"

"Y-Yes!"

Jay nodded as Yukiko ran downstairs. Kazuki opened the door.

In the middle of the room lay someone with splotches of blood between two thick sheets of black and white feathers.

**Go read the next chapter and please review!**


	6. Ch5: The Things We Are

**A/N****: Since this is a double-chapter to make up for the late update, if you have pressed the arrows that skip to the last updated chapter you should go read the chapter that's right before this one, though you might want to go ahead and just re-read the whole thing while you're at it. Except if you don't have time (and if you don't have time, why the hell are you here reading this anyway?) Here's chapter five or you.**

**Disclaimer****: I might start a series of mini-fics on Youtube…**

_Chapter 5: The Things We Are_

…

…_Seventeen years ago, we were born into the Dark Ring. The first people we could remember were other kids that were with us. The grown-ups never really paid any attention to us, they just brought us our food and taught us what we were told we needed to know for the future. We were just little brats back then, so we all constantly fought with each other at first. After a while, we started to notice that fighting against everyone didn't help one bit. So we started forming groups. Still, more immature thinking. So then we started fighting as groups. We ganged with the kids we thought had something in common with us. Mainly appearance, because we all had this one thing that told us apart. That's how I ended up befriending Mag, Hawk and Sparrow._

_I think Mag and I were lucky, because parents don't usually remember or recognise their children that have been taken away from them, especially in the Dark Ring. Sometimes they don't even bother. But our parents…I didn't know Mag was my brother until they told me so. I never paid attention to how similar we looked, neither did he nor the others. Having been separated from our parents that early and being put in the same situation as the others, we had no idea what on earth a parent even was. Seeing how old we were they probably knew we wouldn't understand the conception of "making and having a baby", so they just explained that parents were people that took care of 'certain' children and that they couldn't decide whose parent they were. We still didn't understand what a parent really was, and we had no idea why we had parents and the other kids didn't. I remember when we asked them they said that the kids do have parents, but that not all parents care about their children. I could've asked them to be Hawk and Sparrow's parents too, but they'd said that they couldn't decide whose parents they were, so I didn't ask. But that was because they were talking about being our parents by blood, and I didn't understand that kind of stuff either. Too little. Our parents said we could call them Tou-san and Kaa-san._

_If I think about it, Mag was more like Tou-san and I was more like Kaa-san. I didn't like Tou-san for some reason. As for Mag, he loved Kaa-san even if he liked Tou-san better. If Tou-san hadn't left this world as early as he did, I might've made up with him by now. That's actually something I really wanted to do, so even today I can't forgive him. I even hate him for it. If it weren't for Redwood, I think Kaa-san would've been doomed to depression and despair…and ended up leaving too. Same for Mag. I have no idea what would've happened if it weren't for him. He saved us. I started to grow away from Kaa-san and stuck to Redwood instead. Mag just went and loved Kaa-san even more. He hated Redwood because he thought he wanted to replace Tou-san. Weird, what kids can think, huh? We were only eight when Tou-san left, so I guess that was to be expected…_

_I'm not sure how it happened really, but the kids stopped fighting between each other and just plain ignored the rest, playing only with those similar to them. Mag, Hawk, Sparrow and I were one foursome group. Sparrow and Hawk kept fighting each other for a long time. But since they never hit each other and usually stopped rather quickly, Mag and I didn't mind too much. I think it's because they were worried we might shove them away. And that issue still counts today, I'm almost sure._

_Aside from living to know what it was like to have parents, we were taught and treated like the rest of the kids. We learned Japanese, some English, how to read. That much was what we learned like the kids outside of the Dark Ring. We also learned how to load a gun, take aim, fire, make a bomb, place a bomb, control the setting off of a bomb, disarm a bomb, all the weaponry and things the terrorists of today do. We were around thirteen years old when Redwood gave us a few books that he thought we might want to read. Sherlock Holmes was my first book. Hawk also liked Sherlock Holmes a lot. Sparrow not as much, and Mag didn't dare read it because he got sick of hearing Holmes' name so often when Hawk and I talked about him. Maybe that's why Sparrow didn't like him too much either. Oh, but Sparrow became a great Ellery Queen fanatic and started thumping Hawk and I with that detective, trying to make us believe Queen was better than Holmes. We had plenty of arguments about that at first, but after a while I just gave up and left the usual bickering to Hawk. After reading those books, the three of us suddenly wanted to become detectives. Sparrow and Hawk argued about who would become the better detective later on, and I just went to Mag instead and told him how excited I felt about hopefully becoming a famous detective. Best or not didn't really matter to me, I just wanted to be recognised as a great detective. I didn't tell anyone about my thoughts, but that's when I noticed that it would be impossible. We were kids of the Dark Ring, and weren't allowed to live outside like other people. Not too long after I realised not all kids were forbidden to go out. Why were they allowed and not us?_

_If I wanted to become a detective, I first had to figure out the answer to that question. I started reading lots of mystery books that Hawk and Sparrow borrowed after to read too, and even read Arsène Lupin- "Finally a book Mag likes", I thought when he asked if he could read them- and started to study other things like History, but mostly science. I wanted to study all those things to look for a solution that I had no idea where to find, but after a while I loved studying those things so much I nearly forgot why I started studying all those things in the first place. That was until I started studying religion and mythology._

_I couldn't finish this alone anymore. I went over to Redwood and showed him some pictures of creatures like mermaids, harpies, vampires, werewolves. I put all those under his nose. "How long has the Dark Ring existed?" I asked. Only for a hundred and fifty years, he said. "These creatures are said to not exist…why?" I didn't need to say the full question, he knew what I was asking. He waited. And then he told me._

"_One of the reasons why the Dark Ring exists is because they want to recreate these so-called mythical half-human creatures. And to do so, they use the children born into the Dark Ring as test subjects."_

_Test subject. I was a test subject. And so was everyone else. I'd read all those books, I thought I was what people could consider human. I thought I was normal. I thought I was treated as a human. No, I was just a plain live science project to study about. I loathed the Dark Ring at that very moment. I told the others about it. Nobody understood or cared, except for my brother and our two friends. The foursome that were part of the 'Wing Project'. I somewhat got over it eventually- not entirely, of course, but that's to be expected- as well as Mag and Sparrow, but Hawk never did. It was almost some sort of phobia he had when he went out on a mission, he always went into a panic rush when 'that' happened. We were scared of being called inhuman or monsters as much as the others didn't care. To us who had learned to think, it was terrible news. But as I said, three out of four got over it and decided to pretend like it wasn't so bad._

_And then, one day…we were shown a ray of light. A ray of hope. _

_We were shown freedom._

_**xXx**_

Jay wringed the small cloth over the basin and gently dropped it on Mag's forehead with a soft smile.

"…So I'm not sure as to what happened, but from what I gather Redwood called Kudo-san and made your home our hideout."

"Do you think Redwood and Tou-san knew each other before all this?" Kazuki asked.

"Most likely," Jay sighed, turning to Kazuki. "But from where, I have no idea. Though there must be something relatively big for Redwood to call Kudo-san…_and_ for Kudo-san to accept to hide us. I mean, he'd never even _seen_ us, did he?"

Kazuki shrugged. "Sometimes I don't understand Tou-san either…"

Jay watched as Kazuki wiped the rest of the blood off the floor before the boy headed off to clean the bloody thing.

"Nii…chan?..."

Jay turned his head and smiled as Mag looked at him bleakly.

"Hey Pie. Feel okay?"

"I…guess so…did that?..."

"Yeah, it did."

"…Ah…Sorry…"

"It's not your fault, it's not something that can be controlled. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Mag gave a small nod before closing his eyes again. Jay looked at the door again, waiting. Kazuki came back after a minute.

"When is Mag going to wake up? Any idea?"

"He just did, but he needs rest. I still have a few things that need some explaining and I'll tell you about it later, just know for now that's its very painful."

"I can imagine…" Kazuki looked like he not only imagined but actually knew. Jay shivered.

"So Jay…what kind of 'creature' are you supposed to be? I mean…if I look at you as you are now you're as human as one can get. I have a bit of a guess from what I saw of Mag, but…"

Jay didn't answer right away. "I'm not quite sure either," he admitted finally. "First I thought we were harpies, but then I remembered a group that looked more like harpies than we did, because they had claws instead of hands and feet, and it was their arms that they used as wings. We just have a separate set of arms and wings."

"Do you think you could be an angel-type creature?- Sorry if that word gets to you, but I can't think of a different word right now…" Jay smiled and shook his head. He couldn't actually think of a different term to define what he was either. At least it sounded better than 'monster'.

"I've thought of that, but aren't they supposed to have white wings?"

"I think people only imagine angels with white wings because white is a symbol of purity and that angels are supposed to be pure according to the Christian religion. Nowadays people love the aspect of angels and demons and often use them in manga and anime. One popular facet of these two creatures is the dark-winged angel because he's on the borderline between angel and demon and could go to any side anytime. Fallen angel was the first thing I thought of when I saw Mag on the floor."

"What if our wings are a different color than white or black?"

"You'd still be some sort of angel-type creature, I guess. What color are your wings?"

"Mainly bluish. But there's some black on there, and a bit of white. If you have internet you should look for pictures of blue jays. You'll get the idea of what they look like."

"Oh, so that's why you're called Jay?"

"Yeah. Full name is Bluejay, but everyone just calls me Jay."

"Does that mean you guys were all named after the color of your wings?"

"More like after they messed up our genes," Jay deadpanned.

"Yo, Jay!"

Jay raised his head as he saw Sparrow walk into the room, closely followed by a slightly pale-looking Hawk.

"So, how's Mag doin'?"

"Knocked out, that's all."

"Tha' was ta be expected."

"I guess Kudo-kun figured out, huh?" Hawk muttered.

"Well duh, 'course he did! He's th' one who found Mag along with Jay!"

Hawk looked away. Kazuki smiled sympathetically.

"I can't say I know how you feel, but…from what I've seen of you guys, you don't look any less human than anyone else. Cheer up! Besides, you guys are pretty cool. When I heard you were from the Dark Ring I thought there was no way I could trust you. _And_ it's only been an hour since I thought that."

Hawk gave him a short small smile that said thanks. Jay stood up and ruffled Mag's recently cut and already messy hair before leaving the room with the rest and closing the door behind them.

"Maaaan, I feel sorry for Mag," Sparrow sighed suddenly. "Havin' his wings shoot out is painful, but…"

"Oh please don't make me think of that now," Jay pleaded with a shudder.

"What, is there something worse?" Kazuki asked.

"That would be taking the drug that hides them," Hawk replied as if he were already starting to feel it. "Imagine you have an egg. From that egg hatches a chick. Think of the chick as the wings and the egg as the body."

"Wings hatching out of the body? What a weird way of putting it." Jay snickered at his own comment, Sparrow grinned.

"But that _is_ kinda what it feels like, ne?" Sparrow answered. "I can almost imagine the sound of the shell breakin' and all that weird icky stuff around our-"

"That's gross, Sparrow, cut it out. We're _not_ gremlins," Jay said before they both laughed.

"The effect of the drug is to reverse the 'hatching' of our wings," Hawk continued. "It's like taking the chick and stuffing it into the egg turning back time. Which means it implies shrinking our wings into something small enough to be hidden under our skin without bothering the rest of our inner body structure."

Kazuki paled. "That sounds worse than what I go through when I grow and shrink."

"…Could be. The worst part of the drug is that we don't know how long the effect will last. The shortest I've seen up to now is a week, but it usually holds out a month or so."

"Hawk has been lucky and hasn't had ta take any drug for over _nine months_," Sparrow scowled jealously, folding his arms and glaring at concerned person.

"True, but the longer it lasts the more I worry about when it wears out. It could be any second."

The three teens sighed in unison. At the same time, Yukiko came to meet them after having climbed the stairs.

"Hey boys!" she smiled as bright as usual. "I wanted to ask- do you know how to cook?"

"Sorry, I'm terrible at cooking," Jay sweatdropped.

"Same here," Sparrow admitted.

"I'm not the best cook, but I'm good enough to handle a few things," Hawk said. "Why are you asking?"

"Oh, I thought maybe you could give me a hand. Would you mind, Sa-chan?"

"Umm…of course not."

Jay figured that Hawk was probably just as confused by the 'chan' as he had been a while ago. Yukiko turned to Sparrow and him.

"Maybe you can also do something, how about cutting veggies?"

"Guess so."

"Wonderful! Oh and boys, I suggest you start calling each other by your new names. You're taking on some completely new identities starting from today, and you need to pretend like you've been these people all your life. It's not like Kazuki who has a life he needs to go back to. The three of you- and Mag- cannot go back anymore."

The realization suddenly smacked Jay in the face. Yukiko was right- they _had_ no life to return to anymore. They weren't taking on fake identities just to hide. They were taking on these new names so they could live a life. A peaceful life. A new life.

Yukiko smiled.

"So, let's all go head on into those new lives of yours together."

Jay grinned, Sparrow and Hawk simply smiling back. Kazuki was also smiling behind his light-reflecting glasses.

"Right on!"

**I dunno if you kind of expected the 'secret' to be that or not, but…that's the secret. Please review!**


	7. Ch6: Family Feeling

**A/N****: Chapter six~**

**Disclaimer****: Woof.**

_Chapter 6: Family Feeling_

"Oi, Hattori, pass over the cabbage."

"Here ya go!"

"Yukiko-chan, what am I supposed to do now?"

"Ah, just pop them into the bowl for now."

"And then?"

"Kudo, I can't seem ta grind th' damn salt!"

"Maybe you're turning it the wrong way."

"Stripes or cubes?"

"Either, but I usually do cubes."

"Still nothin'."

"Are you holding it upside down maybe?"

"Whadd'ya- Oh, wait, ya' right."

"Shin-chan, those are way too big. Would you mind cutting them in half?"

"Ah, sorry!"

Yep, that's what a full, busy kitchen looked like.

_**xXx**_

He slowly opened his eyes. Where was he? What time was it? …What happened?

Oh, that's right…_That_ happened…he'd passed out…

His closed his eyes for another moment, taking a deep breath. It was vague, but he remembered waking up and talking to Nii-chan…They had been alone in the room at that time. Did Nii-chan take care of everything by himself, making sure no one came in? No, he would've let those two in. He guessed they just happened to be alone when he woke up and that during the rest of the time everyone else just came and went without him knowing. Why hide something when everyone knew?

He opened his eyes again and slowly sat up. The pain in his back was as terrible as always, but that damn splitting headache was simply the worst. Good thing he didn't have that every time.

Grabbing the wet cloth that had fallen beside him on the pillow and pressing it against his forehead, he carefully stood up and left the room. Despite the pain lingering around the root of his wings and his head feeling like it was being hammered on he swiftly walked along the walls and hopped down the stairs to look for the others. Well, no one in the library. Or bureau. Or whatever it was. The living room was also empty. Ah, there was the washroom. Not that there was anyone either, but it was good to know if he wanted a shower or a bath…or to put the cloth away. Now that he thought of it, he didn't know where to put the cloth. Oh well, just leave it on the side of the sink. Now, where could they-

"Kuroba! Ya' just in time!"

He turned to look at the person who had just talked. Everybody was sitting around two tables that had been brought together. A few were waving, most of them smiling.

"Kaito, do you feel better?"

He wasn't sure how to react. It felt like he'd suddenly walked into a parallel world.

"I…I guess I'm fine…"

"Go ahead and eat before the food gets too cold," Yukiko smiled.

He nodded and sat beside his elder brother.

"Umm, can I ask something?"

"Sure."

"When did you guys start using the new names?"

"While you were sleeping. It's best we get use to them as soon as possible."

"Can I still call you Nii-chan?"

He watched him blink, a little surprised apparently. Then he smiled.

"Since we've been raised together, I guess so. But maybe you should call me 'aniki' instead."

"Hmm…"

"Kuroba, you had best hurry up and get your food before Hattori steals it."

"I suppose you're right, _Hakuba_. Ittadakimasu!"

_**xXx**_

"Have you found them yet?"

"No. If they're being helped by outsiders, I don't think we'll find them soon. Especially since they got rid of their tracers."

"…"

"Why are you asking? Worried they might be brought back here?"

"No, on the contrary. I'm worried that if they are indeed helped by outsiders…the kids are still under the effect of the drug, but once it wears off, what will happen if they figure out?"

"Well, since you most certainly helped them escape the outsiders in question are sure to already know _what_ they're dealing with."

"I already told you-"

"I know what you said. But personally I would've already wiped you out. If it weren't for the Boss, I would've eliminated you hours ago."

"…"

"I will leave you for tonight, I still have a mission to accomplish. But I won't stop watching you."

"You're a pain, you know that?"

"Hmph. Filth like you shouldn't open their mouths too wide or they'll make enough room for me to shove my gun don't their throats."

"Well the filth you're talking to is sick of being thought a traitor."

"…We'll see about that.'

_**xXx**_

"…and then Hakuba threw that guy's cars keys to the ducks!"

"That's so cute!" Yukiko giggled as the rest chuckled- except for Hakuba, who sat plain emotionless. Though Shinichi was pretty sure he was just hiding his embarrassment.

"I remember something Hattori did," Kaito added after Shinichi's story of Saguru. "We were only four, but one day he went out in the hall all naked and started asking the grown-ups what-"

"Oi oi oi!" Heiji interjected hastily, his cheeks becoming a color of deep crimson.

"-he went and asked what 'the two balloon-things behind the stick' were."

There was some laughter. Heiji shot Kaito a glare before deciding to stand up and leave the room after saying he would be right back.

"H-Hey, come on, we were only kids back then! It's not like we're telling stories about the crazy stuff you did _recently_!"

"Oh, there are things like that you still do today?" Yuusaku asked.

"Well, not like running around the halls naked or something like that, more like things we say and that are weird," Saguru said. "The other day Kuroba came back with a big lump on his forehead. When Kudo asked what happened, he answered that a tree had run into him," Kaito put his hand behind his head and shared an embarrassed grin with the laughing family.

Shinichi only just noticed Heiji when the latter had touched Kaito's shoulder. Kaito turned around.

A sound similar to a death scream filled the manor.

Shinichi watched as Kaito quickly scrambled over to a corner of the dining room, staring at the object Heiji was holding with horrified eyes while searching in his inner pockets for a gun that was in his other set of clothes. Heiji waved the fish around, looking at the others.

"There's somethin' I remember was rather funny and that's somethin' ta do with Kuroba's phobia of fish," Heiji declared. "We were eleven years old and had been out doing a fishing contest ta see who could catch a fish first, except for Kaito who decided to stay away from th' rods so he didn't have to deal with th' fish we'd reel in. So after two hours of waiting he grabbed a stick and dipped it inta th' water out of boredom. When he pulled it back out, we realised that he'd only needed ten seconds ta win the contest."

Kaito aside, everyone laughed. Well, Saguru just chuckled, but to Shinichi it was more like him laughing.

"Needless to say, that was actually a good idea you had, Yukiko-chan," Saguru smiled. "Being able to share silly or embarrassing moments with others _does_ bring people closer, doesn't it?"

"Yep! And I still have plenty more whenever you want!"

"Say, Kaito-kun…what do you plan to do while your wings are out?" Yuusaku asked.

Kaito didn't respond immediately. Heiji figured it was the presence of the fish and left to put it back in the refrigerator.

"...Kaito-kun?"

"W-Well, usually I waited until I got a mission before deciding," Kaito replied, raising his head to look at Yuusaku. "We all did. But now…well, we won't get anymore missions I guess, so I'm not sure how to think about it…"

"Aren't you supposed to take the drug soon after?" Kazuki asked.

"Drug?" Yukiko wondered, cocking her head to the side. "You mean like-"

"No, they'll just wreck our body if we take them all the time," Shinichi interrupted. "That's why for most missions we didn't bother hiding our wings. Besides, they were particularly helpful in Hattori's and Hakuba's case since they were on the tracking team. Hattori was the one doing the sky scouting lately, though, since Hakuba's still hasn't worn off since that one mission nine months ago."

"It would be best to wait before Kuroba takes his next drug, at least until we've decided how to organise them," Hakuba added. "Unless we find someone capable of producing the same drugs, we'll run out in no time."

"Whadd'ya mean?" Heiji asked, eyes wide.

"We've only managed to take so many drugs with us, and since we've left the Dark Ring we do not have free access to their stock. There's four of us, and if we were to consider that each of us has about a month every time we take one…we only have three months to either figure out what we'll do in the future about our identities, or hope for a miracle and try to recreate the drug."

A rather disturbing silence fell. Shinichi wasn't sure how the others felt about this, but if they didn't have what they needed, how could Redwood expect them to even _attempt_ to live a "normal" life?

"Well, since Redwood is still in the Organisation I'm sure he can get whatever you still need from them and give it to us," Yukiko suggested.

"No, it's a very bad idea," Kazuki said. "I'm pretty sure that Redwood is being heavily monitored from now on just by being the closest to the four. The simple fact of taking drugs he doesn't need for people that are not in the Dark Ring anymore could get him killed. The moment he tries to get a hold of the drugs, it'll be over for everyone."

Shinichi stared down to his lap. He was such an idiot! He should've thought of it…he wasn't allowed to blame Redwood just because he figured that he'd thought of everything. Besides, he probably _did_ think of it. Possibly a lot more than Shinichi could imagine.

He felt helpless. He wanted to do something. He _needed_ to do something. He couldn't just sit here and wait for a miracle to happen. He had to start thinking it through- and not just a bit.

Right now, one of his best options possibly would be to find someone from the Dark Ring- someone he knew wouldn't betray him. He could only think of Redwood and Maple for now, but maybe if he gave it more thought he'd eventually find someone. Worst case, Redwood and Maple would find someone for them…Usually the scientists that were part of the Dark Ring didn't really care about eliminating traitors, or so he heard. Maybe he'd be lucky finding one that wouldn't mind helping him out…But even just going there to check was dangerous. If they figured out who he was, they'd kill him without second thought. Or just capture him and do…what _would_ they do to him, anyway?

"For now, Kaito-kun, you should probably just hide," Yuusaku suggested. "School starts in a month, so we still have time to prepare you all. And we can all start spreading word as to the two of you coming from the States. We can say Heiji-kun was coming to Japan, but that he had an accident and that Tomoaki-kun was the one to find him and the one to tell us about him. And as for Saguru-kun…we'll manage to find an excuse later on."

"If you say that I came to Japan because I heard some interesting rumors about certain criminals lurking around here I think we'll be fine," Saguru smirked.

"So, what, you plan to all become kokosei-tantei like Kazu-chan?" Yukiko cocked her head to the other side.

"Sure!" Shinichi smiled.

"Kudo! Let's team up!" Heiji grinned, as they gave each other the thumbs-up.

"This is going to be a quite interesting," Saguru mused.

"Forget it, I'm not going to play detective like you guys," Kaito scowled.

"Ya should try, it oughta be fun. Especially if it's th' four of us."

"Nope, no intention of being a kokosei-tantei," Kaito pouted, crossing his arms. Two seconds later, an evil grin grew on his face. "I have better plans." Not that he expected for him to go along with their idea, but _that_ got Shinichi worried.

"Oh! Is it this late already?" the doctor said in surprise as he looked at his watch. "I would love to stay longer, but I have things I need to attend to. Thank you for inviting me to stay for dinner."

"It's nothing," Yukiko smiled. "After all, you are doing so much to help…"

Everyone waved as Araide left, Yukiko escorting him out of the house. Yes, he was doing a lot…in a way, helping people was what doctors were for, but like this? He hardly knew any doctors that had risked their life for some strangers. Well, not that he actually _knew_ any doctors, aside from Araide…not personally, at least.

"Do any of you know when the effects are due to wear off like Kaito-kun's did?" Yuusaku asked, coming back to important matters.

"I think mine should wear off in two days or so," Shinichi replied. "Hattori had his yesterday, since his previous one finished three days ago and he had to take a new one so we could escape without having problems with the regular people. As for Hakuba…we have no idea. It could be in another three months, it could be in three seconds."

"The next time we see Araide-san, I might ask if we could make x-rays," Hakuba smiled weakly.

"I wouldn't wanna see tha'" Heiji muttered, shivering a little. The rest chuckled.

"Kazuki, is it okay for you to stay here tonight?" Yuusaku asked, turning towards his son, the latter nodding.

"Yeah, I told Ran you were going to show me how to piece case elements together 'like Kazuki-niichan'" Kazuki scowled as he stated the last part. From what Shinichi guessed, Kazuki hated having to refer to himself as a third person.

"Who's Ran?" Heiji asked, blinking. At the same time, Yukiko came back into the room.

"My childhood friend," Kazuki answered. "If you're going to Teitan High, you'll have to put up with her. As you are now, I doubt she'll leave you alone so easily. Every inch of you is screaming that you're my clone or something. At least physically."

Shinichi sighed. Angel-creature or clone, he was still a science project of the world. He had accepted that fact, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt anymore. Well, he wasn't going to comment about that now. He didn't need to make Kazuki feel guilty about saying such things. They were kind of true, anyway.

"We'll wait a couple days before doing so, but I think we'll ask Agasa-hakase to pretend the two of you are out camping for a week. By the way, Agasa-hakase is our neighbor," Yuusaku added as a note to the teens. "That way you can be with them and help them out with the basic things they need to know about school, and also to help them build up a mental life-course for their background. In the meantime I'll have a friend from Interpol take care of fake documents and such for 'legal' support."

_Why_ were there so many complicated things that needed taken care of? Shinichi wondered, refraining from sighing a second time.

**Please review!**


	8. Ch7: Teitan High

**A/N****: I've decided to bring up a shameless plug and tell all readers here that if they haven't yet started Mangaluva's "****When Pandora's Box Is Opened****" they're more than insane. I know it's ass-long, but not only is it extremely well written, but also incredibly captivating, and probably **_**THE**_** most interesting version of DC's end one will ever find…and no I can't compare it to Aoyama-sensei's end yet. **

**Disclaimer****: I'm wishing for the return of KID (missing for years), of Hakuba (missing for **_**centuries**_**), and of Takagi x Satou (can't remember seeing them since that last case that got Takagi stuck in hospital...)**

_Chapter 7: Teitan High_

"Tou-san! Kaa-san! I'm leaving!" Shinichi shouted throughout the manor, smiling.

"Have fun!" Yukiko shouted back. With that, Shinichi closed the door and crossed all the way to the gate to head towards the school.

This past month, the four teens had lived in the Kudo household, making sure they were not seen by the occasional visitors- aside from Araide, who came to check up on them and their health. In the meantime, Yukiko and Yuusaku- which Shinichi had taken the habit of calling "Tou-san" and "Kaa-san" for identity's sake- had started to spread word of his arrival from the States to Japan along with his cousin Kaito a week ago. During the whole month, Kazuki had been in charge of teaching English.

Since Shinichi and Kaito had lived in the States nearly all their life, they needed to have language skills that made that story believable. Same for Saguru, except that he had to practice pronouncing everything with a British accent. The results? Shinichi and Kaito's English still had a hint of Japanese but their English was amazingly good- well, their English was already good, it just needed to be spiffed up a bit- and Saguru had practiced his English so much that his British accent ended up sticking to his Japanese. Yuusaku had claimed that it was better than they could hope for, but for someone like Shinichi who had known Saguru nearly all his life, it was almost hilarious.

When 'Conan' had to go back to Ran's after returning from his 'camping trip' with Agasa-hakase- which the four teens had had the pleasure of meeting while the professor was getting himself cleaned up after a nice little explosion in his lab- Shinichi started studying things on his own, reading through the books that were already available in the house and reading through the ones Yukiko brought back sometimes from the library. While Heiji and Saguru followed his example, Kaito went to doing his own little things to fight away boredom. Shinichi wasn't sure where the boy had gotten that idea, but Kaito had picked up a great interest in magic tricks and illusionism. The worst part was that he was learning fast. _And_ making his own crazy things up. First it started with a couple cards tricks. Then with disappearing and reappearing pens. Then other, bigger things that went missing and were found elsewhere. Including _people_. And who knows where he'd found- _and_ tamed- all those doves that kept popping out of his shirt? Not to mention that Kaito seemed to always push the limit of impossible further and further away.

Even though they were almost always reading and doing magic and such, Shinichi and Kaito would sometimes dress in black at night so as to not be noticed too much when they went to fly around a little to stretch their wings. They had to be weary not only of regular people, but also of members of the Dark Ring that could be on the lookout. They never stayed out longer than five minutes and never went past a 750-meter radius around the house. Also, the lot of them would spend quite some time talking, getting to know each other better. The teens were very often asked to tell some things about themselves, the missions they'd done, what they did outside of the missions, how they felt while they were part of the Dark Ring, how they felt now, what they thought of themselves and each other.

…But the others told them things, too. The times they'd walked in the park. The times they'd watched over the one sick in bed. The times they'd done something embarrassing. The times they'd gone to restaurants together. The times they'd waited in a hospital for the one who got caught up in an accident. The times the parents had gone to see Kazuki during school events. The times they'd laughed. The times they'd cried.

The times they'd seen people live among those who walked in the sunlight…and the times they'd seen people die in the cold shadows of the night.

Countless times had Shinichi seen people die. He had been one of the Dark Ring. It was their duty to infiltrate the high ranks of society. It was their duty to force those with too much power into moderation. It was their duty to erase those that stood against them. It was their duty to kill those who were in the way. Even though Shinichi knew that killing was wrong, he'd never questioned the methods of his fellow members. Even though Shinichi knew killing was wrong, he'd never felt any pain when yet another life was taken away under his eyes. Killing was wrong…but not feeling anything about it was worse. And that was what pained him most.

Two days earlier, Shinichi had remained at the Kudo household while the others went to the places they were supposed to be. Kuroba Chikage had come to pick up Kaito- with the same shocked expression Yukiko and Yuusaku had when they'd seen the two of them- and take him to his new home. Araide picked up Heiji and dropped Saguru off on the way. Even though Heiji's had only just worn out, he took a new drug, as Shinichi and Kaito did the same. Saguru had been lucky with a drug that had lasted ten months and was still running it's effect. Kazuki- Shinichi still had trouble calling him 'Conan'- hadn't come to visit in a week, but that wasn't too much of a problem, even if Shinichi would've liked to ask him a few last questions about how to act in school and about how school worked and such. He could've called, but he didn't dare. Why, he had no idea.

And so, before he even knew it, Shinichi found himself standing in front of the school gates as he snapped out of his thoughts. He smiled, his heart beating excitedly- the courtyard was nice and spacey, a couple trees here and there for the welcome, some benches for the students to loiter around during breaks or lunch time, and near the building was a big bulletin board with tons of students gathered around it. He remembered Kazuki mentioning a week ago or so that he shouldn't wonder about it and go check it out too, because that's where his name would be listed among others, placing him in one of the classes. Normally students would comment and either cheer or pout depending on where they were because everyone hoped of being in the same class as their best friends. Shinichi didn't really care with who he was. Though on second thought he was quite the liar and was actually really hoping to be with his three buddies.

He'd only just walked past the gate that the students had turned around, all muttering to each other and giving Shinichi a general stare. He didn't know if it was a good or bad idea- or if the muttering was even good or bad itself- but he decided to pretend he wasn't concerned and walked up to the board to look for his name.

"Yo, Kudo!"

Shinichi only had enough time to turn his head to see who had talked to him before an arm found it's way around his neck and caught him in a head-lock.

"I thought you'd a' been here earlier, ya slowpoke!" the voice of a teenage guy with an Osakan accent snickered.

"No kidding…I was slowed down by a black cat that crossed the sidewalk," Shinichi groaned sarcastically. "If you could let go of me it would help, I don't know where I am yet…"

"You're in class C," came the voice of a British sounding person from behind him. "Hattori is in class D, Kuroba and I in B."

"Geez, it sounds like you guys are miles away," Shinichi frowned as he straightened after Heiji let go of him. "By the way, where _is_ Kaito?"

"Late," Saguru said darkly.

"Kazuki!"

_Here we go_…Shinichi thought with a mental sigh as he turned around, faking surprise- that he ended up not faking after all.

The teenage girl that was standing in front of him was rather cute-looking, with long brown hair and bright, blue eyes. There were so many emotions mixed up on her face he wasn't sure he would be able to find them all- her appearance was quite dazzling, too, so he probably wouldn't even find one even if he tried.

"Who r'you?" Heiji asked. Saguru gave him a small swat on the head.

"That is _not_ how you address a lady," he said coldly.

"Umm…" Shinichi blinked, trying to form a coherent phrase in his head before blurting out nonsense.

"Kudo, really, you could've called if you were coming back!" a second girl with short hair behind the first fumed, hands on her waist. "Shame on you! She was worried to death because of you-"

"Aniki!"

He didn't know Kazuki was such an attention-magnet- oh, wait, that was someone else calling out for _him_ this time, not Kazuki.

He could see Kaito fighting his way through the swarm of students that seemed to all be still staring at him and the people talking to him. When Kaito finally arrived, the wild-haired young man grinned.

"Yo, Aniki! Sorry I'm late…Oh, Hattori! Hakuba! Fancy seeing you here!"

"Where did you expect us to be?" Saguru asked.

"Ne, Aniki, are we in the same class?"

"Sorry, we're not. But you're still lucky, you're with Hakuba. Otherwise, we're in three separate classes."

"_No way!_"

"Kazuki?"

Shinichi jumped as the girl in front of him said Kazuki's name. He thought for another two seconds.

"Umm, sorry, but I'm not Kazuki…" he said, a little embarrassed. "Actually, I'm-"

"What are you talking about?" the other girl snapped, grabbing Shinichi's arm. "Of course you're that idiot of Kudo Kazuki! Who else would you be?"

"His_ brother_," Shinichi replied before she could place another word. "Would you please let go of me?"

"Haha, his brother, very funny," she continued with the biggest amount of cold sarcasm he had yet seen. She was worse than Saguru. "Go ahead, say you're his clone while you're at it-"

"His brother?" the first girl interrupted, realisation dawning on her face. "Then you must be Shinichi-kun, right?" Shinichi stared for a moment before nodding.

"Y-Yes, that would be me…"

"And that would make you Kuroba Kaito, right?" she added, turning to Kaito, who smiled.

"That's me alright!"

"But how did you know?" Shinichi asked.

"Yukiko-chan told me you were returning from the States- or would visiting be a more appropriate term?"

"Depends what angle to look at the situation from- may I ask who you are?"

"My name is Mouri Ran, I'm a friend of Kazuki's. And this is my friend Suzuki Sonoko," she added, showing the other girl that was now staring.

"Nice to meet you," Shinichi smiled. "Just as you guessed, this is my cousin, Kaito- and these are Hattori Heiji and Hakuba Saguru." Ran nodded to each as a greeting. Behind her, Sonoko just stared. Maybe her mind is frozen, Shinichi thought. "I would like to ask…do you have any idea as to why everyone is staring at us?"

Ran looked around, finally noticing how everyone's attention was diverted to them. She turned back to Shinichi.

"Well…Kazuki was rather well-known around here…and…"

"Duh, you look like Kazuki himself!" Sonoko said, coming back to her senses and stating the obvious- or so it sounded like. "You best get ready, Ran-chan won't be the only one to think you're-"

"Yo, Kudo, you're back!" some guy shot, giving him a strong pat on the back. "Still not coming back to the soccer club?"

"S-Sorry, I'm not Kazuki," he blurted out, starting to get confused about how many people were greeting him by all sorts of names this morning. Especially since none of them were his real name- including 'Shinichi'. "'Name's Kudo Shinichi, Kazuki's brother."

"Eh? I never knew Kudo had a brother…Hey, do you like soccer?"

"Umm…I've never had a particular interest in soccer, so I don't know the rules…"

"Oh…that's too bad."

"But I guess I can give it a try! You'll just have to teach me how to play."

The student in front of him seemed to be weighing his options.

"Hmm…Well, before we start we might as well try out your sport skills. You can do warm-up with the others and we'll judge how good you are in endurance, speed and quick thinking."

Shinichi nodded, smiling brightly. They shook hands, western style.

"I'll meet you during lunch break on the field, then. By the way, I'm the soccer team's captain, Nakamichi."

Shinichi waved at him and turned to Ran after he left.

"Mouri-san, would you mind showing us around?" he asked politely. "Unless you haven't checked the board yet?"

"We checked the board before seeing you." Ran replied. "Sonoko and I are in C."

"Really? Me too!" _Oh good, looks like I'll have someone to talk to_, he thought, relieved. Ran smiled.

"Kazuki should've been in C too, but I guess he's not back yet…" she said.

There was something in her eyes that made Shinichi's heart squeeze. Such sadness…There were so many things he suddenly wanted to ask. How long had she known Kazuki? How long had he been gone? Just how close were they exactly? Did she…have feelings for him? How much did it hurt…to not know…

"Well if I ever see him I'm having a few words with that bastard," Shinichi said coldly. Ran looked back up at him, surprised. "Who does he think he is anyway, pulling off stunts like that?"

If Ran was wondering anything, she didn't ask. Neither did Sonoko. Kaito simply sighed and shook his head.

"I was wondering when it would come up… How about we forget that for now and-"

At that very moment, the bell rang. Heiji grinned.

"Hehe, this is gonna be fun!" he said excitedly. "Mouri, think ya could show us around during break time?"

"Hattori, stop acting like you've known her for ages," Saguru scowled.

Shinichi wasn't sure since when Saguru gave such importance to politeness. Did it have something to do with being British? Shinichi and Kaito didn't study the same way as Saguru did, so maybe British people had a completely different social standard than Americans…Hmm…He should look it up someday.

"It's okay, I don't mind," Ran giggled. "I'll see you after class then. Let's go, Kudo-kun, Sonoko-chan."

**I had to cut the chapter here because I actually have no idea how first days in Japan are. I only know about the board. I don't know if teachers come and call the classes to their rooms, if they pick their lockers, if they're pre-determined, if they can just go ahead and run around the buildings and find their classroom, etc. I've tried to look it up, but I guess I won't ever know unless I ask someone who's had first-hand experience XD Please review! I need to know what you think and what I could improve…**


	9. Ch8: Class 2B

**A/N****: Chapter eight~**

**Disclaimer****: Ribbons, paper, glue, eggs, car keys…don't mind me, this isn't supposed to make any sense.**

_Chapter 8: Class 2-B_

"…And over there's the field were you'll be this afternoon, Kudo-kun," Ran smiled, pointing at a wide space with lines drawn on the floor and set up nets.

"Eh, so that's where I'll be?" Shinichi muttered, staring at the field Ran had pointed out.

"I'll be cheerin' from the audience for ya!" Heiji joked. "Ne, Mouri, do ya know where we could check out other club activities?"

"Sure, I'll show you later- Here's the infirmary, if you don't feel well you come here. I don't recommend it, but there are plenty that use the infirmary as a pretext to skip class."

"Sounds like the kind of thing Kuroba would do," Saguru remarked, deserving him a friendly swat on the back of the head by a chuckling Kaito.

"The doctor can be very grumpy, but she really understands the students well. If you don't tell her you came to ditch class she'll figure it out sooner or later. But you can say it out straight, she'll cover you as long as you promise to not make a habit out of it."

"Now I know it's just a matter of time before Kuroba comes here…" Saguru mused. Kaito pinched the blonde teen's arm at the same the door opened and someone stepped out. He stopped right where he was and blinked at the group. The boys blinked back.

"Araide-han?"

"H-Hattori-kun! I didn't expect to find you right in front of the infirmary…" Araide said, confused from the strange coincidence. "Do you need something?"

"Ah, nah, Mouri was showin' us around school," Heiji smiled. "But whadd'ya doin' here?"

"Hattori-kun, do you know him?" Ran asked.

"I live with 'im."

"Really?" Ran blinked.

"Well, actually I'm an assistant here," Araide explained. "I can help Eita-san or replace her when must be. Also, there may be some students that might not feel comfortable being taken care of by Eita-san." Haha…now Shinichi was wondering who the mastermind that placed Araide here was.

"That's good to hear," Saguru noted. "Not that I have anything personal against Eita-sensei, but I think I would feel a lot more comfortable if I could confide in someone like you." Araide simply shared a smile with everyone that Ran didn't seem to notice had a secret meaning of confidentiality behind it. Shinichi couldn't blame her, she wasn't supposed to know anyway.

"Well, we gotta go, we don' have much time left an' we still need Mouri ta show us th' rest of the school," Heiji grinned. "See ya later."

"See you this evening, Hattori-kun," Araide smiled as he waved and walked off. Shinichi noticed Ran was staring enigmatically at Araide even as he was leaving. He started thinking about it when someone gave him a big tap on the shoulder.

"Aniki…You there's something over your head."

Shinichi blinked.

And he couldn't remember what happened next.

_**xXx**_

"Kuroba."

Kaito, who had been staring out of the window for a while now and deliberately showing his boredom, turned his head without separating his chin from his palm, or his elbow from his desk. He smiled at the blond-haired student that was leaning against the wall- window- in front of his desk, arms crossed and a rather serious look on his face.

"What is it, Hakuba?"

"I don't want to know what exactly you did to Kudo, but I hope you will refrain from using him as your test subject for magic tricks," he replied, holding back a wince at the term 'test subject'.

"Meh, he's used to it," Kaito grinned.

"It took him five minutes to remember who he was when we found him knocked out in a broom cupboard at the other end of the corridor," Saguru snapped. "I am telling you, do not-"

"Yeah yeah, I got the point," Kaito sighed heavily, turning back to stare out of the window. Saguru went to his seat on the other side of the classroom, a couple rows in front of Kaito's…to say the very front desk right beside the door.

Kaito refrained from jumping when someone dropped a pile of books on his desk. According to the obvious, the young miss that did so was a foreigner, with her long, straight, sunny blonde hair that went all the way to the bottom of her back. Her dark brown eyes hidden behind small, blue, square glasses were as soft as her smile. He also noticed she was wearing something that looked like a collar around her neck, pale pink, thin yet large enough to cover most of her throat. It made him think of cats. But she was quite the charming one, wasn't she? Kaito mused.

He watched as she pulled out a pen from one of her pockets and wrote something down on the notepad she was holding. A few seconds later she turned the notepad around and held it up to show him.

_Do you like the wind?_

Kaito blinked at first. He chuckled a little, then smiled sweetly.

"I don't think you could ever imagine just how much I love it."

She seemed a bit surprised by the answer, but her startled expression quickly turned into a bright smile. Kaito stood up and stretched out his hand. She blinked, watched, and jumped when a dove poofed out of nowhere.

"Do you like birds?" Kaito asked with a grin.

She stared at the dove for a long moment. Her smile slowly sweetened as she lifted a delicate hand to stroke he bird. Kaito was amazed at how much she seemed to be at peace when looking at a bird. Then again, doves were a symbol of peace, so maybe it had something to do with that. Or not?

She grabbed her pen again and scribbled on her notepad, showing Kaito the note again.

_Is it okay if we meet up at lunch?_

Kaito grinned.

"Sure! And if you want to drag anyone along you might as well go ahead, since I'll be with my cousin and our two buddies- Hakuba's one of them, I'll properly introduce you to everyone later."

She happily nodded and trotted off, leaving the books on the table. Without looking at them, Kaito simply stuffed them in his bag. He could check them out later.

Oh, he forgot to ask for her name.

He leaned over to his seatmate, looking towards the back where the girl had headed.

"Ne, who was that?" he asked.

Said seatmate also turned to look.

"That's Rouya Kori. She's half-German and has only just moved to Japan last year. Her parents, although they live separately, are still back in Germany, so she lives with her sister. She usually hangs around the school's library and helps sort out books. She's also quite smart."

"Why does she use a notepad to communicate?"

"If you read enough manga, you should know that some characters are too shy to speak, so they use notepads."

"So she's a shy person?"

"Actually she isn't, even if that's generally everyone's first impression of her. She never says anything about it, and neither does her sister, but apparently she got dragged into something bad when she was a kid and hasn't said a single word since."

Kaito watched as Kori seemed to be sketching something. She raised her head after a moment and noticed Kaito stare. She smiled and waved. Kaito waved back.

"Got a crush on her?" his seatmate teased.

"Mmh? Nah, she's cute but I don't think we'd make a good couple."

"Eh? Why's that?"

"…I have my reasons to believe so."

Silence fell as Kaito stared out the window for a moment. He absent-mindedly stared at the trees rocking back and forth, leaves dancing in the cool spring breeze.

_Do you like the wind?_

"By the way, I'm Kuroba Kaito," Kaito grinned, turning back to his seatmate. He magically popped a rose out of nowhere and winked. "But you can also think of me as your friendly neighborhood magician."

She giggled and accepted the rose Kaito was offering. "I'm Nakamori Aoko."

"Would you like to join Rouya and me for lunch later?"

"Eh?"

"Why not? I'm guessing you were in her class last year or you wouldn't know all those things about her. She might feel more comfortable with someone she already knows. Besides, don't they always say? '_The more the merrier_'" Kaito stated the last par in English, and apparently she somewhat understood. She smiled brightly.

"Alright then. But we'll still ask Kori-chan later, okay?"

Kaito nodded.

_**xXx**_

From the other side of the classroom, Saguru watched as Kaito talked with a blonde girl, and then with his seatmate, having demonstrated to each one of his little tricks. _Show-off_, Saguru thought with a bored smile.

Saguru turned as the door opened and a guy entered the room. Even though anyone would automatically have their attention diverted to the colorful banner stapled to his left sleeve without even looking really, what struck him _first_ were his eyes. Or at least one of them, his bangs were hiding his right eye. But the one eye he could see was an unusual shade of blue. The brightest he'd seen was steel blue, but this was…an extremely pale blue, almost white. 'Ice blue' was what came to Saguru's mind. But then he figured he was probably wearing contacts.

During the half-of-a-second Saguru thought all of this, the boy opened the door with one hand and found himself drenched with a bucket of water over his head that had fallen onto him right after. The girls gasped, the boys laughed. Saguru's first reaction was to shoot a glare at a certain person who was strongly affiliated to pranks. Except that Kaito was staring in genuine confusion at the bucket-head.

A few of the girls came running as if to check that he was alright while he pulled the bucket off his head and shook his head a little.

"Are you alright, Suiyami-sama?" one of the girls asked.

"I fine," he assured in a flat, distant tone. "Please return to your seats, the teacher will be back soon."

The girls reluctantly obeyed and went back to their seats as he went to put the bucket down by the wall beside the board. Either it was daily routine or it just didn't reach him. Perhaps both.

At the same time he walked past the desk, there was a loud POOF followed by a mix of screams, squeals and hollering that made Saguru jump a mile. By the time he realised what had happened, the guy's hair had gone from brown to a lovely shade of silvery white.

This time Kaito laughed, and _this time_ Saguru was sure he was the culprit. Saguru rolled his eyes and stood up to meet the boy who was fiddling with a strand of his newly-colored hair, looking at it in an…_interested_ manner.

"I'll take you to the infirmary, if that's alright with you," Saguru offered in a tone that subtly allowed no objection. "I'll take care of Kuroba personally later," The blonde boy shooed his classmate out of the classroom while an excited blabbering started off, the boys congratulating Kaito for having dared a such thing and the girls squealing about how cool 'Suiyami-sama' now looked. It was easy to hear, so it wasn't very surprising that the boy smiled- or _was_ it surprising, coming from him?

"It actually _does_ look quite good," he mused, still fiddling the same strand of hair.

"Indeed, but I wish he would stop using magic tricks to prank people. I told him to leave Kudo alone, but I guess I should have added that it includes other students as well."

"You know Kuroba?"

"Yes, we've met while he was visiting London with his cousin. It was during a murder case, Kudo and I worked together to solve it. After that they came to visit on regular basis, and now we somehow all ended up being transfer students in the same school."

"You're half-British, then?"

"Yes."

"Nice…"

Silence fell for a moment. Saguru smiled and shrugged.

"Well, I'm not sure if it's that nice…it depends on who I meet, I guess. There are those that will accept me as I am, those that'll consider me as a foreigner, and those that'll treat as 'filthy half-breed' I suppose."

"Meh, in this school you don't need to worry about that. First-hand experience here."

"You mean you're also a foreigner?"

He smiled slightly and stuck out a hand to shake.

"Suiyami Felix, half-British like you."

Saguru smiled back and shook his hand before knocking on the infirmary door they had only just reached. Araide was the one to open.

"What is it?" he asked, pretending he wasn't surprised by seeing Saguru.

"Suiyami-kun has had a bucket of water dumped on is head," Saguru explained simply "I thought maybe he could get a change of clothes here."

"Ah- yes, of course. Please come in, Suiyami-kun-"

"And please see if you can also get that silvery color out of his hair," the blonde teen added. "Somebody thought it would be very interesting to dye someone's hair into an unnatural color." The slight smile on Araide's face showed very clearly that he knew who Saguru was talking about.

"I'll take care of him. You may return to your class."

Araide closed the door and Saguru left.

However, when he got back, the teacher had not yet come back, and he was greeted by a pale-faced Kuroba who had just realised that the color he had used was likely to not come out before long. And by long, he meant _long_.

"Because I didn't notice I ran out of pink and just threw the first color in my hand at him!" Kaito said, annoyed by Saguru's insistent reproaching. "The silver was originally meant for you and not supposed to stay long since it was just powder, but water makes it stick to your hair for a while! With the water that was dropped on his head- _and_ considering that he's probably going to try and _wash_ the color out- the color is going to stick to his hair for ages."

"But really, it's not that big of a deal, is it?" one of the girls- Momoi Keiko- interjected, having listened to the conversation. "He was already very popular last year, and every girl will tell you he looks incredibly cooler with his new hair color- I'm sure you heard the squealing right after it happened. It suits him amazingly well, and besides he looked like he _liked_ it. I've never seen him _like_ anything before- he's always so cool and calm and…actually very distant. He hates talking to people."

"But that's all beside the point," Saguru sighed, before deciding he would rather give up. "And what do you mean, he hates talking to people?"

"He always looks like he never cares about anything," a second girl said, flipping a page of the book she was holding without looking at them. Koizumi Akako, right? "He's always sitting with his arms and legs crossed and stares out of the window all day long, hardly paying attention to class and yet still managing to get very high scores in all subjects. And if you ask him something, he'll either answer yes or no or something that can be summed up in a short sentence. Anything that requires a more developed answer is ignored."

"Sounds like quite the cold guy to me," Kaito commented.

"He is," Kaito's seatmate, Nakamori Aoko, replied. "He's kind of like ice, the only thing he'll warm up to is watching fish swimming in a tank." Kaito shivered at that. "Kori-chan asked him once. When he said "Fish" she looked like she could've giggled."

"Regain your seats everyone!" the teacher said, walking into the classroom. Saguru walked to his desk and sat down, figuring he would have to find out some more about fellow classmates such as Kori, Aoko and a certain Felix who had just come back from the infirmary with a dry uniform, banner stapled on his sleeve, and girls squealing as they saw that he hadn't managed to get rid of the silver color that was now obstinately sticking to his hair and matched his left, ice blue eye.

Yes, he would have to investigate indeed…

**It wasn't until just about the end of the chapter that I noticed just how long this thing is. I was writing without really thinking until I look at how many pages I wrote. **_**Seven!**_** And I wasn't even done with introducing everyone…I'll just leave it like this for now, but depending on future chapters I might have to make them longer…**_**That's**_** going to be deadly… Please review! If you see any mistakes, please tell me!**


	10. Ch9: Class 2D

**A/N****: Of all the multi-chapter fics I've written, this is the first to have survived this long. Normally they never go past five chapters and I usually remove them because they just plain **_**suck**_**. And to be honest, I'm actually impressed anyone is even reading this. Big thanks to the few reviewers! I appreciate the support. Many many thanks**

**Disclaimer****: No, Kaito is not at fault. **_**I**_** was the one that gave the teachers the miraculous tablets that sent them all to the toilet at the same time…muahahaha XD**

_Chapter 9: Class 2-D_

"No kidding! You _still_ don't have a boyfriend?"

"I've told you thousands of times already, I don't _want_ any of them. Most of them are too stuck up or perverted or over-confident or whatever else that makes me feel sick when it comes to guys."

"Mou, Arina-chan, you really should take advantage of your position! All the boys of the school are lining up for you, why don't you just pick one?"

"_Because,_ I just said why. Besides, I'm pretty sure that that one guy that I actually would consider has no interest whatsoever in me."

"_Ooh_, so you _do_ have someone in mind?"

"Yes, now shut up and let me write my shopping list for this afternoon."

"Who is it?"

"Pleeease tell us!"

"Come on! Who's the lucky one?"

"Don't tell me it's _the_ Saito-kun?"

"I said shut up!"

Heiji listened with a slightly amused smile as he stared at the ceiling, leaning back on his chair, his hands behind his head. For some reason, he couldn't help but imagine Ran being pestered by Sonoko and a couple friends the very same way.

"You really should leave Arina-chan alone."

"Well then _you_ tell her she should date someone, TJ!"

"I-I'm most certainly not! Why do you think I'm telling you to stop? B-Besides, I think it's better if people take their time- I mean, if you wait you might find your soul-mate- I mean- umm-"

"Hihi, I didn't know TJ was the romantic type!"

"T-That's not funny!"

Heiji turned his head to take a look at the conversing party. 'Arina-chan' was probably the girl sitting on a chair scribbling things on a paper while listening to the others- actually she was looking at them, now. She had long, sunny-blonde hair that went all the way down her back and dark eyes that contrasted with her hair wonderfully. Judging from the hair-color, she was a foreigner. Standing in front of her desk were three girls that seemed quite ordinary, and opposite them, next to Arina's desk was 'TJ'. If it weren't for the fact that he was wearing a guy's uniform, Heiji would've thought he was a girl. Long, straight brown hair with a red headband coursing through them and around his forehead., a voice that was rather high for a guy, and plenty of oddly feminine physical traits. And truth be told, he was extremely red in the face.

"How about _you_ date her, TJ?"

"_Ooh_, you would look _so_ great together!"

"Hihi! I think they would look more like two girls dating each other, forget it."

"W-Would you _stop_ that?"

"Yeah, stop that. I'm the only one that's allowed to make him feel embarrassed."

"_Eh?_"

The guy's reaction to Arina's words made everyone laugh. Apparently Heiji hadn't been the only one eavesdropping on their conversation.

"But actually Hana-chan is right," Heiji's seatmate said quietly with a smile, turning to the dark-skinned detective. "Arina-chan and TJ really _would_ make an awkward couple."

"I couldn't tell ya. I don' know 'em enough ta know."

"_Ya serious?_ Everybody in school knows 'em!"

Heiji just shrugged. "I just transferred here today, I only just somewhat know th' layout of th' school buildings."

"I'll make it easy for you, then," Heiji turned and his seatmate jumped, both now looking up at none other than the 'Arina-chan'. When did she move over to them? She brushed her long, blonde hair back with her hand.

"The school knows and thinks of me as a wandering succubus or something, because I like to play with boys minds. I never date, I never kiss- not romantically, anyway- I never sleep with a guy in the same bed, I just make boys go nuts and confuse them and all that because I think it's fun. Don't think badly of me- I'm just a teenage girl with nothing better to do. And who knows…"

She leaned forward towards Heiji's face with an evil smirk.

"…maybe you'll be my next victim," she purred seductively in his ear, sending a shiver down his spine. She pulled back, smiling brightly.

"I'm Rouya Arina, by the way. And my friend there- the other oh-so-famous student in the school out of several- is Jinamai Tracy, but we all just call him 'TJ'. That's how everyone called him back in the States, anyway. Everybody knows him for his girly face and his insanely long fear-and-phobia list."

"Is it that long?" Heiji wondered.

"Long enough for most students to not remember the entire list, even though most of the classic phobias are there. He hates: spiders, bugs- and that includes butterflies, but only if they get too close to his face- reptiles and mainly snakes at that, rats, elevators, earthquakes, anything aquatic that isn't a dolphin, whale or a normal-looking fish- like sharks, jellyfish, squids, octopus, eels and the such- carnivore plants, clowns, cheese- _don't_ ask- bats, anything Halloween-related like ghosts and zombies and vampires- he can't even watch 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' without going nearly insane- a typical claustrophobe, can't stand the sight of blood, is awfully afraid of heights, and his fear of the dark is almost unnatural."

"That ain't most- that's all of 'em!"

"Nah, I'm pretty sure there's at least one we're missing and I can't think of it. There's a couple more, but that's not for me to say what they are."

"Even the Succubus knows what ta not say," Heiji's seatmate sniggered.

"That's not very nice of you…By the way, what are your names?"

"Hattori Heiji, at ya' service!"

"Tomoya Kazuha, nice ta meet'cha…both!"

Heiji grinned at his seatmate, Kazuha, who grinned back. Arina smiled.

"Looks like the flames will someday fuse into one…" she mused. Heiji gave her a questioning look when the strange girl-boy came over.

"Arina-chan, I umm…oh, hello. Friends of Arina-chan?"

"Just met," Arina smiled. "TJ, these are Hattori Heiji and Tomoya Kazuha. I just recited your phobia list to them."

"Wha- huh? What for?"

"So they know that if there's some crazy nut screaming in the halls it's probably you." she teased, deciding to hug him from behind, resting her head on his shoulder and her cheek against his.

"If it's in the school it's usually your fault!" he accused, blushing.

"Ah, true…but I can't help it if you're such a big bundle of fun!"

Arina started poking him innocently in his sides- or not, since Tracy almost immediately began to fidget and squirm.

"No, Arina-chan, please…" he begged. Arina sighed first then giggled.

"Alright, alright, I'll be a good girl today…" she stopped poking and hugged him tighter, making him blush again.

"You're lucky, Arina-chan," Kazuha smiled. "You have such a cute friend!"

"Ah, I forgot to mention," Arina suddenly noticed. "There are certain words that are taboo around TJ, 'cute' being one of them." Seeing how Tracy had gone from a little bit red to extreme crimson, Heiji understood why. Or at least a different why compared to Kazuha, because when she asked Arina answered:

"Because when you call him cute, his face goes like this-" she started teasingly poking his cheek with a giggle "-and it makes you just want to squeal and scream how cute he is all over again!" Heiji wasn't a girl, but from a girl's point of view, it made sense.

"Oi, TJ!" someone called from the other side of the classroom. "Come here for a second!"

"C-Coming!" Arina let go of him and watched Tracy huddle off to the boys who called him.

"You seem to get along very well," Heiji smiled. Arina smiled back.

"We met each other in the middle of last year when he transferred from Seattle. He's half-American, but his mother was Japanese and he got all her features- and I'm not just talking about Asian, I'm talking about the feminine face and all that, too."

"'Was'?"

"She…died when he was only four," Arina admitted. "Drowned. TJ never really got over it. That's why one of his phobias- it's one of those I didn't think I should mention- is water. He doesn't mind rain or a glass of water, but a salad bowl would be big enough to make him freak. Eita-sensei wrote a medical certificate for him that lets him skip off swimming lessons last year. He probably swims like a rock."

Arina turned around as the three saw and heard Tracy come back with a sigh.

"What did they want?" Arina asked.

"You," he mumbled darkly. Arina patted him on the shoulder.

"I'll go and play with them some other time. Green isn't exactly my favourite color, after all."

Heiji wondered what the color green had to do with anything.

"Green and red are opposites, so they make a good match," Tracy said.

"If we're talking about opposites, then I think red and blue make a better match. Those guys are not my element, you know," she smiled mischievously and slowly put her arms around his neck, purring "But pink would be quite a sweet color, don't you think…?" Tracy blushed and shoved her off of him.

"That's not funny, Arina-chan," he said reproachfully. Heiji didn't understand what on earth they were talking about. But he guessed that it was probably some coded-language they used when they talked about something others shouldn't know of. But what was there in _that_ conversation that was supposed to be secret?

…Heiji just really didn't get it.

At the same time, the teacher had just walked back in and asked everyone to regain their seats. Heiji watched as Arina sat by her desk next to a girl and Tracy stopped by his desk a couple rows behind.

"I'm takin' back what I said," Kazuha whispered with a giggle. "They'd make an awesome couple. I wish I got along like that with someone."

Heiji secretly thought that he was glad to be friends with people like the kind Shinichi and Kaito were.

"Ne, Tomoya, mind joinin' me and my buds for lunch later?"

"Eh?"

"I'll probably ask those two too. Best get ta know some of my classmates, ya know."

Kazuha grinned evilly.

"Got a crush on Arina-chan?"

"Of course not!"

"Hattori Heiji, please quiet down or I'll have to send you outside!"

"S-Sorry!"

Heiji grumbled as the class laughed a little. Well, wasn't the first morning exciting…

**A bit short, this one is, but I'd rather it be short than too much useless nonsense. For the cheese phobia, if you wanna know where I got it from…then the culprit (victim?) is one of my classmates. We were more shocked than amused when he admitted it to the ten that were listening, and rather than laugh we all started asking questions like if he had some trauma concerning cheese (he doesn't remember having one, either he didn't and the phobia comes from elsewhere or it must have been such a horror we don't even want to know what the hell happened) and understand why. I never imagined my class as immature (we all finished high-school anyway), but I still kinda feel rather proud of my classmates ^_^ Four introduced, two more to go! Maybe even three, depending on what I feel like. Yes my dear friends, I have more creepy OCs up my sleeve…and I'll have them jump out at you in your nightmares very soon *evil laugh* Please review!**


	11. Ch10: The End Of A Morning

**A/N****: Havin' da time o' meh life here! XD And if you like KaiShin with **_**lots**_** angst, go read Dragon-sama's "****Mayonaka****"! I don't care if shameless plugs are criminal, I said **_**go read it**_**!**

**Disclaimer****: This is **_**not**_** a shonen-ai fic. There will be mentionings of it, but the pairings won't be carried out. The pairings are for most part canon, okay?**

_Chapter 10: The End Of A Morning_

Shinichi slopped down on his table with a sigh as the teacher walked out of the room, leaving the students to chatter about…him. Some of them even came over to ask him some things, the first few still thinking he was Kazuki and asking where on earth he had disappeared to for the past seven months, the next few asking why he, Kudo Shinichi, had lived overseas and only just now decided to come back to Japan. He ignored the first and let Ran take care of that even though he had never asked her to do so, and for the rest he simply answered "I have my reasons" in a tone that indicated that he just wanted to be left alone for now. He was busy trying to think.

He still didn't know what on earth happened to him and only vaguely remembered the moment he was found by Saguru in a broom cupboard. He really wanted to think it over and figure out how Kaito had managed to teleport him there, but for some unexplained reason his brain was very reluctant to cooperate. He couldn't even think straight.

"Ne, Ran-chan, why does Kudo-kun look so down?" he heard Sonoko ask.

"He's not down, he's more like tired," Ran said. "Or at least that's what I'm guessing."

Ah, that might explain why everything felt so fuzzy in his head. Wait, was it supposed to feel fuzzy when he was tired?

"But he was all spunky just twenty minutes ago!"

"Kuroba-kun used sleeping gas on him, maybe it didn't completely wear off yet?"

Urgh…he was _so_ going to kill Kaito later…

"Excuse me, Kudo-kun?"

Shinichi raised his head and looked up at the two young men standing by his desk. One had dark brown hair and hazel eyes accompanied by a slight tan of skin (though he was nowhere near as dark as Heiji), the other black hair and sapphire blue eyes. What struck Shinichi- and that would strike most anyone- was that the second was wearing an oversized knitted sweater over his uniform. He tried to get his detective flair to kick in and see what else he could notice about them, but apparently his body _really_ didn't want to do anything right now, what a pain in the-

"Yes?"

"Do you think you could help us? Sutekon-kun here lost his phone and was too shy to ask for help."

"S-Saito-kun…"

"I'm not Kazuki," Shinichi deadpanned. The Saito guy just waited, as if expecting something else to be said. Sutekon was fidgeting nervously, wanting to urge away, as if even just asking had been too much. Shinichi smiled. "But I'll help."

"K-Kudo-kun, are you sure you can do this?" Ran asked, turning around to see him. "The teacher could be back any minute, and you were supposed to meet Nakamichi-kun at lunch for soccer tryout."

"I know that."

"And come to think of it, are you a detective like Kazuki?"

Shinichi shrugged. "Never really actively helped anyone solve a case, but I can try and prove myself useful."

Ran blinked at him.

"Unless you think I should ask Hakuba and Hattori and leave the phone to them?"

"You mean…they're detectives too?" Sonoko asked.

"Let's say the three of us are mystery-geeks."

"Please regain your seats everyone!" the teacher said loudly as he walked back in. Everyone did as told, and quieted down. The teacher grabbed a piece of paper.

"Alright now, please take a pen and fill in your timetables with what I am going to dictate." the teacher declared, pushing his glasses back up. For the next hour, there was only the voice of the teacher and the sound of lots of scribbling pens. Shinichi was very tempted to sigh. For now, school didn't seem very different from the indoctrination the other children suffered back at the Dark Ring. So, wait- was school actually some hidden form of global indoctrination then?

…Oh come on, he was just getting too paranoid…

"…as you already know," the teacher continued, "you can visit various club activities today during lunch time and decide on which you wish to attend to. This afternoon you'll be free to leave, lessons start tomorrow. Please also note that medical examination will take place Monday next week and..."

Yeah yeah, lunch clubs and afternoon off and medical ex- oh. Shit. Okay, pretend it is _not_ a problem. Besides, Araide will be there right? Right.

It really wasn't helping, but Shinichi was fighting the urge to fidget nervously after hearing "medical examination". He spent the rest of the morning thinking of seeing Araide first thing this afternoon, and wondering if the others were thinking the exact same thing as him right now.

_**xXx**_

Shinichi walked to the classroom next door that had a "2-B" sign hanging over the door, followed by Ran, Sonoko and the two boys that asked about a lost phone. They had agreed to meet here before deciding on going outside or sit in the classroom to have lunch.

"_Anikiiiii!_"

Shinichi had only just had the time to open the door before being assaulted and having his vision blurred by a mass of messy, dark hair.

"Kaito, get off!" Shinichi demanded, though he couldn't hide a smile.

"Nuh-uh! Not letting go!" Kaito just squeezed him tighter, and Shinichi gave up.

"Wow, you look like twins in love," the Saito guy commented.

"Oh! You mean like those two famous twins from Ouran High?*" Sonoko asked.

"You heard them, Kaito," Saguru smirked. "You'd best let go of Kudo if you don't want to be seen as homosexual for a _long_ time."

Kaito turned his head to Saguru, then blinked, then stared.

Then his face split into a grin.

Kaito let go of Shinichi and swiftly, smoothly moved over to Saguru, and with a quick flick of hands and arms Kaito was leaning over the blond-haired detective with one hand under the latter's back and the other holding his like some final pose after a tango.

"Would it be so much of a problem if I fell in love my own cousin?" he purred with a disturbing grin. "How about I hit on you, then?"

Shinichi turned his head to the two giggling brown-haired girls, another blonde girl grinning and the last red-haired girl just watching, all standing not too far off.

"Kuroba, you know that doesn't work on me anymore," Saguru deadpanned.

"Is that so?"

"They've done it before?" one of the giggling girls asked, half-shocked half-ready to squeal like a fangirl.

"If that really is the case, my dear Sa-chan-" Saguru flinched at the name "- then please allow me to push the line a little farther~"

Saguru's face went bright red as Kaito leaned his face closer to his and used his free arm to shove the magician's head as far away from him as possible.

"I shall most certainly _not_ allow that!" Saguru declared, making everyone in the vicinity laugh.

"Hoo~, lot's 'a people in here!" a voice that Shinichi recognised as Heiji's declared. He looked and noted that Heiji had also brought company.

"Oh, Hatsuki-kun!" the blonde girl behind Heiji smiled.

"Arina-chan!" the Saito guy replied, smiling back. "How was your vacation?"

"It was okay, considering that Kori and I went to Berlin to see Tou-san. What about you?"

"It was cool."

"Oi, Kudo, did I miss somethin'?" Heiji asked, putting a hand on Shinichi's shoulder and looking over it.

"Not really," Shinichi shrugged. "But if Kaito had achieved what he was trying to do, _then_ I would've said 'you have'."

"What'd he try to do?"

"Kiss Hakuba," Shinichi pointed at the two struggling boys. Heiji started snickering.

"If I look at how many people we are, I think we might need to go through introductions," The blonde next to the Saito guy said. "How about we drag everyone outside?"

"Good idea, Rouya-chan," Heiji grinned. "Oi, Kuroba! Hakuba! Stop makin' out and bring ya' buds so we can go outside ta have some lunch."

"We are not-" Saguru started, but with another smooth movement Kaito had managed to pull Saguru back to his feet and have his arm around the Brit's shoulders in a friendly manner, as if the previous scene had never occurred.

"You should really stop daydreaming, Hakuba, it slows everyone else down and only messes with your mind," Kaito teased, giving his friend a pat on the back. Saguru opened his mouth to reply, but Kaito called out to the girls before he could say anything. In the end, a relatively large group of students walked out of the building, with at the end of it a rather baffled Saguru.

_**xXx**_

"Huh? Koizumi-san isn't here. I thought she'd come with us."

"Apparently not…but that's okay."

"Alright everyone! Quick introductions, going clockwise through the circle. Just say your names and where you're from, if you have any question you raise your hand like in class and wait until allowed to speak."

Shinichi opened the bento Yukiko had prepared for him earlier this morning like most opened theirs and listened as Kaito was first to speak up for demonstration.

"My name is Kuroba Kaito. I was born in Japan, but lived most of my life in California with my parents and my cousin Shinichi. We grew as brothers if anything. I do lots of acrobatics and athletic sports to keep in shape, and like to do magic tricks."

"And pull pranks on others," Saguru added, sending a few chuckles in the group.

"Yeah yeah yeah- Aniki, you're next."

"My name is Kudo Shinichi. I was born in Japan and lived most of my life in California with Kaito and his parents. Before anyone asks, yes Kazuki is my brother but I don't want to hear anything about him for the rest of the upcoming week because I'm sick of hearing his name. I like running and racing, so I think I'll start soccer. That said, I might not be able to stay throughout the whole thing depending on how much time it takes because Nakamichi-kun is waiting for me on the field later. Hattori, Hakuba, I'm putting you in charge of finding this guy's phone," Shinichi showed the black-haired guy sitting on Kaito's other side. "You may ask him later. I also play violin- Yes?"

"Are you a detective?" one of the girls asked.

"You know, I think I'll go find some reporters and make an interview where I tell the world once and for all the answers to all the questions I keep hearing over and over." Shinichi commented as he looked at Kaito, the latter snickering like it was a private joke between the two. Shinichi looked back at the girl. "I'm not a detective. Yet. I've never actively had any role in any investigation, but- sorry if I seem arrogant by saying this- I'm sure I've got what it takes to help the police and will probably start doing so if the police here will let me." That answered and no more questions, Ran started.

"My name is Mouri Ran. I was born in Japan and live with my father, Mouri Kogoro, a private detective. My mother is a lawyer, but she doesn't live with us. I do karate to be able to defend myself if I'm ever in trouble."

"And trust me, she has one hell of a chop," Sonoko remarked.

"Sonoko!" There was more chuckling after that. "I do karate and I play a bit of piano."

"My name is Suzuki Sonoko," Sonoko chained in "I was born in Japan, and my father is president of the Suzuki Company. I don't do any sports really, but I play transverse flute and like to go shopping with friends and mostly Ran-chan. And I'm still looking for my perfect prince charming."

"Kuroba is right there, if you can actually stand him," Saguru said pointing at concerned magician who stuck his tongue out at him. Shinichi couldn't help but notice that each introduction was unable to end without at least one joke or teasing comment.

"My name is Momoi Keiko. I was born in Japan, and my parents are merchants. I don't do any particular sport but I like volley-ball, and I play transverse flute. Otherwise I watch lots of TV."

"Too much TV makes your brain go mush!" Kaito said before using his hands to picture something melting with an ugly bubbling sound. Everyone laughed, but that was probably at the comical expression on Kaito's face as he did his thing.

"My name is Nakamori Aoko. I was born in Japan, and my father is Nakamori Ginzo, a police inspector. He works a lot, so I don't see much of him really. I don't do any particular sport, but I like volley-ball like Keiko-chan and used to play piano- yes?"

"Why 'used to'?" Ran asked.

"I just haven't touched a piano in a long time," Aoko smiled, a little embarrassed. "I kind of lost my touch, you know?"

"How can you lose your touch if your fingers are still on?" the Saito guy joked.

There was a small silence after the few chuckles, then the girl next to Aoko pulled out a pen and started scribbling something on her notepad. The girl next to her put her hand on her shoulder and smiled. The first girl smiled back and stuffed her pen away.

"This is Rouya Kori, and I'm her sister Arina. We were born in Germany, our mother is German and our father Japanese. We live here alone in Tokyo, our parents live separated in Germany. I do basketball, and Kori does swimming. Kori plays piano and I play violin. And just so you know, we will not answer any questions about Kori not being able to speak. Thank you."

"I'll go and call the media for you, then you can do your interview along with Shinichi," Kaito said, deserving a tongue stuck out at him by Arina and some more small laughter.

"My name is Jinamai Tracy. I was born in Washington, Seattle, and lived there up until eight months ago, when I moved with my father and my elder brother Kevin. My father is American and my mother was Japanese. I can't do a lot of sports because I have a very bad case of asthma, but I still try to find something I can do. I also play guitar."

"And for those who want, I wrote down all of the phobias he has," Arina grinned as she held up a piece of paper with what looked like a _very_ long list.

"Arina-chan, that really isn't funny you know!" Tracy retorted, blushing a little.

"Best way to make him shut up!" Arina announced, ready to demonstrate. She turned to look at Tracy with a very evil grin. "_Ka-wa-ii_." And that one magic word took effect as Tracy's face suddenly flushed deep red, mouth open in attempt to say something, but no sound would come out. Most girls went into a giggling fit, Arina giving him a good hug, and the guys just grinned.

"My name is Hakuba Saguru. I was born in England, London, my father is Japanese and my mother is British. I spent most of my life living in London, occasionally visiting Japan. I've done fencing, and I play violin."

"POSH!" Kaito shouted, pointing at Saguru in the most obvious manner possible, making everyone laugh. Saguru rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"Why, thank you for that wonderful comment, _Kuroba_."

"My name's Tomoya Kazuha. I was born in Osaka an' moved ta Tokyo two years ago. Me dad's in th' police force. I do aikido, so I'm good at denfendin' myself, much like Mouri-chan. I don't play any instruments, though."

"And before anyone comes up with somethin', can we drop th' stupid jokes every time someone's done introducin' themselves?" Heiji asked.

"Admit it Hattori, you just wanted to protect her from weird comments," Kaito grinned evilly. "You got a crush on her don't you?"

"If all accusations I've heard since this mornin' were true, I think I'd have gotten a sudden crush on four different girls in one mornin'." Heiji remarked, raising an eyebrow. "And I'm sure _you_ got room ta talk Kuroba, ya were flirting with Hakuba twenty minutes ago."

"Won't deny it," Kaito smiled as Saguru's face reddened again. "Should I try and make out with you next?"

"Maybe when we're in a more private area," Heiji smirked, making Shinichi snicker and Keiko look ready to squeal. "My name's Hattori Heiji, I was born in Japan but lived in Florida for a while. Came back ta Japan last week, an' left my parents back in th' States. Not inta any particular sport, but I might go inta kendo. An' I don't play any instruments."

"Beach boy!" Shinichi said gleefully.

"Oi oi, dark complexion, not a tan." Heiji retorted. "Got it from me gramps. An' I said we can stop with tha stupid jokes now," he added as there were more giggles.

"My name is Saito Hatsuki, and I have absolutely no idea how I got dragged into this," There were a few chuckles as he pointed that out with a smile, because now that Shinichi thought of it, it's true that originally he only came to ask for help. "Anyway, I was born in Japan, my father works in a bank and my mother works in a science building. I have a little sister, Erina, that I enjoy teasing. I'm not really into sports, despite being diabetic, and was never interested in playing any instrument really though I do know a bit of guitar."

There was a moment of silence, where everybody waited. After a few seconds everyone was looking at the last person, expecting for him to speak up. Hatsuki gave him a little nudge in the arm with his elbow, making the boy jump and look around.

"W-What is it?" he asked, getting a little nervous when he realised all were staring at him.

"It's your turn," Kaito said.

"My t- Oh! S-Sorry, I'm just…well…not really used to this kind of thing…"

"It's okay, just go ahead. You'll do fine!" Kaito gave the boy and encouraging smile. The boy nodded, blushing a little and starting to play with his sleeves.

"M-My name is Sutekon Thomas. I was born in France, Paris, before moving to east-France near the border to Switzerland and Germany and then to Japan two years ago. My father was Japanese and my mother French. I don't do sports, but my piano skills are okay…Um, yes?"

"You said you're half-French, right?" Kaito asked.

"Yeah…"

"Your name is pronounced 'Toma' in France, isn't it?"

"I-it is, yeah."

"Do you prefer being called 'Toma' like in France or the Japanese 'Toma-su'?"

"Um…'Toma' really, but…"

"Okay!"

Kaito gave Thomas a friendly grin as Shinichi stood up, having just finished up packing his empty lunchbox and hoisted his bag over his shoulder.

"Well, it's time for me to go," he announced. People had already started waving. "It was nice to meet you all," he smiled, "and I hope we'll get along alright."

"Wait! Before you leave, can I ask for a vote?" Hatsuki interjected. "Because I've noticed that in this very circle, a little more than half are foreign. Can we make this the Foreigners Club?"

"I might as well leave the vote up to you then, because if I stay we're an even number," Shinichi chuckled. "Sutekon-kun, go ahead and ask Hattori and Hakuba about your phone. Ja ne!"

_**xXx**_

Akako slowly walked up to the figure leaning against the building wall, arms crossed, that was watching something. Or someone, more like. She frowned as she stopped.

"It's you again," the figure said without looking at her. Smooth as water, yet cold as ice. That's how the figure's voice was, anyway.

"What are you doing?" Akako asked sharply. "Spying on someone?"

"Hmm, you could say so."

"Why?"

"Interesting auras."

Akako blinked. Ah, yes. _That_. The figure slowly turned to her, arms still crossed.

"You feel it, don't you?"

"Yes. I do."

The figure smiled. There was something about that smile that even Akako didn't like. As if the figure was almost mocking her.

"I suppose you still want to try to uncover the mystery of the auras?"

"Yes."

The figure shrugged before straightening and separating from the wall.

"Well then, good luck."

"I don't need to hear that from _you_ of all people."

Akako watched as the figure walked away without further comment. She slowly approached the corner the figure had been looking past and shot a glance at the laughing group of students sitting in a circle.

"_Those auras are not those of normal humans…who _are_ they…?_"

*** "twins from Ouran High": it's actually a quick reference to Ouran High School Host Club, Sonoko is talking about the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru.**

**Haha, yes Akako is on a hot trail already~ I thought the rest of the chapter was kinda sappy so I added this to make up for the rest. Either way, starting off next chapter I'll start using the somewhat new fashion that consists in replying to reviews at the end of the chapter. Also, just as a note, the next chapter might not be next week. I kinda know what I wanna do, but it will still take lots of planning and plotting and asking people for strategic help. And please review, I really appreciate them. They're what keeps the fic going~**


	12. Ch11: Spinning Sirens

**A/N****: Okay, so I watched this gameplay preview recently about a new Ace Attorney that just came out in Japan in June and that won't be out in the States before February- I'm not in the US, so that sucks too- and I really can't wait that long. And I wonder how long it takes for a game to be made a rom, because even if I could maybe import the game over the net I don't have a DS! The two we had broke a long while back, the top screens are hanging off the other half…and the Wii is also screwed until we find- well, a screwdriver (I really didn't make that pun on purpose, honestly), so I can't even consider buying that DC game…and that new Another Code looks great toooooooo *sobs***

**Disclaimer****: I want that new Ace Attorney gaaaaaaaame (Miles I LUFF YOUUUUUUU)**

* * *

_Chapter 11: Spinning Sirens_

Shinichi shook his head as he took his shirt off and lazily dropped it on the bench before undressing on the bottom part and heading for the empty showers. He switched the tap on and closed his eyes as a refreshing stream of cold water poured onto his sweat-covered skin.

He was glad he'd done what he did. Rather than shower with the rest of the team, he'd told the captain he would go for another few rounds running on the field before leaving. By the time he came back to the changing room, everyone had already left except for Nakamichi, so he could leave Shinichi to locking the room when he was done. Shinichi didn't need the others to see and ask about the two ugly scars in his back. And he needed a little time alone.

The school was so insanely crowded with students, people were swarming up to him like bees to honey, everyone smiling brightly at him and talking to him- even _touching_ him, sometimes- and as happy as he was that so many people talked to him like they'd known him their whole lives it had still made him extremely nervous and almost a little jumpy despite the effort to try and remain calm and casual. Especially during soccer tryout just now. In class he felt okay because there was nothing other than the teacher's droning voice and the sound of pens etching on paper, and during lunch break the three others had been around. He felt a lot more at ease with Kaito, Heiji and Saguru around. Even when they had been sitting in a circle with Ran and Sonoko and all those other students everything suddenly seemed to feel a lot more natural. The moment he'd stepped into the changing room and onto the field however, he started feeling nervous again. Running, kicking, passing, scoring, cheering, being clasped in the back then having an arm go around his neck and his hair being ruffled, it had made his heart thump like mad.

Shinichi opened his eyes again and shut the shower off before going back to the changing room. He grabbed the towel next to his uniform and dried himself quickly before plopping it on his head to get dressed. Once he was done, he took the keys Nakamichi had entrusted to him and locked the door behind him before heading to the school gates.

_**xXx**_

"I'm back!" Shinichi shouted as he walked through the door and closed it behind him before taking his slippers off. Yukiko came running towards him.

"Shin-chan! Welcome back." she smiled brightly. "So, how was your first morning?"

Shinichi couldn't help but smile back. "It looks like I'm on my own, we're in three separate classes. I met quite a few people though, and it's kind of scary to think the world is this big." Shinichi rolled his eyes with a sigh as Yukiko giggled a little. "I really mean it, Kaa-san. It's like I'm being smashed by a steamroller the second the others aren't around."

"Aw, poor thing!" she grinned. Shinichi put a semi-pout on his face while looking away.

"I'm heading out again this afternoon." he announced, putting his school bag in a corner. "I'm just going to change out of my uniform."

"You are? Where are you going?"

"Just walking around Beika, I guess. I'll be with Mouri-san, Suzuki-san and Conan-kun."

"Oh! So you met Ran-chan?"

"I met _half the school_ because they thought I was Kazuki. How could I not meet her?" Shinichi started to head for his room so he could pick out an outfit. Yukiko walked beside him, matching her steps to his. An evil, teasing grin appeared on her face as she nudged Shinichi's arm with her elbow.

"So, what do you think? She's cute, right? Right?" Shinichi blushed and muttered something to his defense, but it only made Yukiko giggle and ruffle his hair. She left him when they reached the stairs, going for the kitchen as Shinichi went to his bedroom.

There was no denying it, Yukiko was a great mother. Though it annoyed him a lot when she would tease him and toy with him like he were just a kid, he knew she was being extremely loving and affectionate, and he could bet that if he tried to hide his worries the day he had any, she would notice right away and patiently wait for him to confide in her. Yuusaku probably would too, Shinichi thought. Even though he was a busy man, he always seemed to find some time to talk to him and make it feel like they were having a father-and-son moment together. It was easy to tell Yuusaku and Yukiko were giving it their all to make Shinichi as at home as possible, and the teen boy was deeply grateful for that. He thought several times of telling them that it was alright, that they were already doing so much for him, but…how would they react? Would they just laugh and say that they enjoyed being like that? Would they be taken aback by his remark, thinking they're overwhelming him? Well, they were, but not nearly as much as they might imagine…because even if he still felt a bit uneasy around them, there was that warm, comforting feeling that tugged at him inside.

Shinichi stopped in the middle of the corridor, in front of his bedroom door, slowly lifting a hand to his chest where his heart was. Everything…it was all so new it was almost scary. Spending a month living in the Kudo household had helped, but he still felt like he had just gone from one side of a coin to another. It was all so…_confusing_. He wanted to shove it away, to create a protective sphere around him and shut everything else out. But also wanted to hold those feelings close to him, he _needed_ them. He didn't understand how it could all be so repulsive and attractive at the same time. Well, he probably just needed more time…

Shinichi entered his room and opened his closet. Most of the clothes hanging there were Kazuki's, since they both happened to be the same size for some reason and Kazuki didn't need them right now. But as Shinichi groaned after realizing for the millionth time that most of Kazuki's clothes were neat and mature and looked like something that belonged into the closet of a businessman he finally swore to himself that he was definitely going to buy something more appropriate and that didn't make him want to believe his so-called brother was in love with his school uniform.

With a sigh, Shinichi finally decided on a pair of jeans he managed to find and a pale blue shirt- he refused to button it all the way to the top, though. Ah, there, that looks nice enough. And so, Shinichi left his home calling out "See you later!" to Yuusaku and Yukiko.

_**xXx**_

Conan looked up with those eyes as Kogoro started talking about a certain punk detective, and watched as Ran rolled her eyes pulling a sweater over her t-shirt saying that she was going to hang around Beika with _Shinichi_ and not _Kazuki_.

"It's the same thing whether it's the one or the other."

"It's not! Besides, there'll also be Sonoko-chan, Conan-kun and some of Kudo-kun's friends."

"Basically, you and Sonoko are the only girls…and you want me to entrust you to that Shinichi brat and some of his pals?!"

"That's right."

"Ran, I won't allow-"

"Tou-san, if you are not quiet in the next three seconds you'll have to cook your own dinner for a week." And Ran had said that _casually_ while digging in her handbag.

"Wha- Wait, Ran!!"

Conan stared back down at his book. He kind of wanted to smirk at the thought, but when he remembered the last time where he had shared the fault with Kogoro, it made him shudder.

"Conan-kun, we're leaving now!"

"Hai!"

Conan snapped his book shut and put it on the small table before jumping off the sofa and following Ran out of the door. They found Sonoko waiting at the bottom of the steps, leaning against the wall and smiling as they came down before heading for Teitan High, where they had agreed to all meet for the sake of meeting someplace where everyone knew where to find it. Leaving Ran and Sonoko to chat, he used the time to think back about the teenage boys

It was strange how likeable they quickly turned out to be. He didn't have a habit of trusting anyone immediately, it usually took a while before he considered anyone as being nice or cool or what. He remembered how learning that they were from the Dark Ring had freaked him out at first. Not too long after, Kaito ended up having a rather…_feathery_ problem, and Shinichi had told them about their lives in the Dark Ring. Conan had somewhat felt sorry for them. The way Shinichi had told the story had made it sound like it was no big deal, that it was just another aspect of life even if not a great as that of others, but…it was easy to imagine how horrible it was to suddenly realise the size of the gap between being a human…and a mere "test subject". And somehow, he was pretty sure the pain they felt everytime that wing-thing happened was similar to the one he did when he turned into Conan. He knew he never wanted to feel that thing again except for the day he'd turn back into Kazuki, and much less have to go through that pain as often as the others probably did.

Saguru was a bit of an annoying guy, kind of snob and arrogant and _what was it with the time thing?_ Writing down _seconds_? "You are 3 minutes and 47.06 seconds late", he had once said. And he was constantly bickering with Heiji, too. As for why, he had yet to discover the reason. But, annoying as he was, Conan had first found a shared passion for Sherlock Holmes, and then…there was also that time…he hadn't meant to spy, but…well, it was a secret between him and him, anyway…

Heiji was what Conan liked to call "hot-blooded". Always snapping at Saguru like mortals enemies that had been forced to live together, and easily riled up by mean comments and insults. But really, he was a good guy. And for some reason they got along well enough for Conan to have him already checked on his list of "best buds". There was that one time where Conan let emotion slip and put on the face of someone who had just lost something they held dear while he thought no-one was looking. Who noticed? Heiji, of course, and in three seconds time the dark-skinned teen had come up with something that cheered Conan up before he had the time to even realise it.

Kaito was as outgoing as one could get. Well, except for the first few days, where he was a bit distant with everyone and everything. A little mistrustful, too. But jumping from killer organisation to happy family wasn't easy, either. Conan was easily exasperated by Kaito's antics- as were the others, apparently- but Kaito was a warm-hearted person with a bright grin and always had a joke up his sleeve…along with a couples aces.

Shinichi was so god-awfully similar to Conan as Kazuki it was creepy. Physically, okay, he could cope with that. Plenty people had the same face, it was a small world, after all. And with Yukiko's skills, it was easy to make him Kazuki's identical twin. But as far to have the exact tastes and passions and heck even _skills_ was scary. Okay, maybe they didn't have the _exact_ same tastes, and Shinichi was definitely a much better singer than _he_ was, but it was still odd. Even personality-wise they were very close. The biggest difference, Conan found, was that Shinichi was colder, more distant. But that probably came as having been raised by a murder organisation that treats lives like crap. Conan really couldn't blame any of them for being sceptic about anything and everything that surrounded them. Hell, they were even more paranoid about feeling the presence of Dark Ring members than _he_ was, and that was telling something.

Well, since they were all going to wander around Beika together, Conan thought, he would be able to see how well they were coping with the outside world for now.

"Sorry for making you wait!!"

Conan was torn away from his thoughts as Ran waved to the guys already standing there, Kaito waving back.

"You don't need worry about making us wait, Mouri-san." Shinichi smiled politely. "You weren't late- we were just a bit early!"

"I think Aniki was eager to see you again, Mouri-chan!" Kaito grinned mischievously, deserving himself a swat on the head by a certain blue-eyed detective.

"Now now, Kuroba, be polite." Saguru smirked. "Messing with a lady's is a very bad thing to do, I'll have you know."

"Where's Heiji-niichan?" Conan asked, noticing someone was missing.

"I'm righ' here!" a voice shouted, and all turned to the dark-skinned detective arriving, panting. "Sorry I'm late, had ta shake Araide off- he was insistin' on doin' a check-up before I go."

"'Araide'?" Sonoko repeated. "You mean Araide-sensei, Eita-sensei's assistant?"

"Yeah, but I don' wanna talk about that stuff now. Let's go an' enjoy our walk, 'kay?"

_**xXx**_

The whole time, Conan had watched the actions of the teens. The four of them being together, they seemed to act like normal teens. And have the interactions they've had for the past seventeen years. It made him smile to see how well they already fit in with the rest of the world, as if they'd never lived in the Dark Ring at all. They talked, fought, joked, laughed, teased, did pretty much anything and everything a normal teenager did. The only thing that had made him gawp was when Sonoko wanted to drag them all into a clothes shop and that, him and Heiji aside, the others had actually _agreed_. What kind of guy in their right mind would go and shop with a girl, for the love of Kami? But when Shinichi told him that he had intended on getting new clothes anyway, he had felt a little relieved. Kaito had also gone zooming past a few racks before pulling out a pair of jeans and a couple t-shirts. Saguru also looked around, and Conan overheard Shinichi telling the half-Brit that had they been the same size he would have gladly let him have Kazuki's wardrobe. Well, at least he had made it clear he had something against his taste of clothes.

Shopping aside, there was something else that bothered him. He had noticed that, for some reason, Shinichi seemed to be talking a lot with Ran. Maybe Conan was over-reacting, maybe Shinichi was just trying to be social, maybe it was Ran talking to him so much because Kazuki was gone and Shinichi looked so freaking much like him. But it bothered him nevertheless.

"…and then he snuck up behind her and shoved her into the water!" And everyone laughed.

"Seriously though, those two are insane!" Kaito grinned, as Ran blushed a little.

"Yeah, I think Mouri an' Kudo would make a good pair." Heiji added, and Ran rolled her eyes.

"You're overdoing it." she said with a chuckle.

"Speaking of 'Kudo'" Sonoko started, turning her head to Shinichi "what about you? Would you have the guts to ask Ran-chan out?"

"Alright, that's it!" Shinichi suddenly barked, making everyone jump. "Admit it, this is a conspiracy, right? All of you!" They couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Admit it already! This was all Kaito's idea, wasn't it?!"

Well, Conan thought, if conspiracy it is, then they probably achieved their goal- assuming the goal in question was to mess with his head.

Conan waited a bit for the subject to die out before pulling "Shinichi-niichan" to the back of the group.

"What is it?" Shinichi asked in a low voice, so the others wouldn't overhear whatever Conan wanted to say.

"…I decided to change Sonoko's question a bit and ask…what do you think of her? Ran, I mean."

Shinichi blinked at him for a moment before looking up, probably to look at the topic of their discussion. Conan blinked back when he saw Shinichi's face curl into a warm smile.

"She's cute…she's sweet. I also feel more comfortable around her than most other people. There's something like a familiar feeling when I'm around her." he chuckled a little before turning back to Conan, dropping his voice down another tone. "But really Kazuki, you don't have to worry about love issues…I don't think I'd be able to date her even if I wanted to."

And then, just like that, Conan suddenly felt how those words hurt. He looked up into those cerulean blue eyes that were just like his, and felt those words dig a hole into his heart, as if he had said them himself. And thinking about it…it kind of did apply to him, didn't it? As long as he was Conan, he couldn't be with her. He could touch her hand whenever he wanted to, and yet…and yet it felt like she was _light-years_ away. He couldn't be with her even if he wanted to.

Heh. Maybe he should meet up with Shinichi sometime and decide on some dark title together for all the stuff that kept happening to them, like "The Curse of the Kudo Twins."

They all slowed down as some screeching sound came closer and closer from behind them, and hey turned to look at what it was.

Ah, that's right. _That_ needed to be added to the Kudo Curse thing too.

The clique watched as a few police cars zoomed past them and stopped in front of a building twenty feet ahead. Saguru suggested they go and see what happened, and they walked all the way up to the police officers that were steeping out of the cars.

"Megure-keibu!" Ran called out, making a couple of the men turn to them. The one in an orange attire blinked at them.

"Oh, Ran-kun! Hanging around with friends? I think you should- Kami! _Kudo-kun, is that you?_

Conan noticed Shinichi make those annoyed eyes.

"Sorry, I'm Shinichi, not Kazuki." he declared in the shortest possible sentence. "I'm guessing my brother worked with you a lot?"

"Umm…Yes, I assume you're right…" Megure said, a little confused. He shook his head slightly before getting serious again. "In any case, you probably don't want to stay here, so I suggest you-"

"What happened?" Heiji interrupted.

"It's probably a murder." Kaito answered before Megure could.

"Ah, that sounds interesting." Saguru smiled.

"Oi, let's go take a look!" Heiji grinned.

"Boys, you can't just walk in and visit a murder scene-" Megure started.

"I think it's too late for saying that." Shinichi cut off. That was the last thing Conan heard, as he had already gone past several policemen and was entering the building.

* * *

**Mangaluva**: Glad you liked that Kai-Haku part. I'll admit that it was a very clear picture in my head…and the very reason I started researching all those dance things we vaguely talked about XD And good thing I did, too. I totally agree on Akako's account, she really doesn't get enough attention. I'll also admit that I keep forgetting what she's really like because of all the fics I constantly read and that always have some different view of her and so I ended up making my own Akako that doesn't necessarily fit with Aoyama-sensei's…She's only been seen in this fic twice for now so there's not much to compare her to yet, and I'll make sure I use that fact to make her as IC as possible.

**Kayla Edogawa**: Glad you like the chapter. Personally I wasn't that satisfied with it, mainly because I'd finished it only a day before the "deadline" and didn't have the full week ahead I usually had to re-read the chapter fifty times for spell-check and add/remove details, or even worst case- rewrite the chapter entirely. I already did that with one of the previous chapters, mind you, and it seems I was right to do so. Otherwise I would've screwed up the introduction of Phobia-Dude and Crazy-Blondie XD Yes Shinichi could have solved it, but I decided it would be better for him to get to his tryout on time XP And actually I've never read the manga to Ouran Host…only watched the anime. I know I can read it on OM, but somehow I just don't feel like it. Weird, huh?

**xxBakaAkki**: It's the story of the "Wing Project", so they're the center of the whole thing. Obviously- or not so obviously- I decided to make my OCs the other side of the balance. I'll write an excuse right here and say that those OCs- all six of the recently introduced, Kori, Arina, Felix, Tracy, Hatsuki and Thomas- are so important to me, have such a deep connotation to my own life as an aspiring author that I can't put them somewhere and make them look like their existence in the fic is irrelevant. The "why" is something I could write a dissertation about worth the length of five chapters, so I'd rather not start on it in here. But don't worry, as important as I want them to be, this fic is not about my OCs. About the fact that they would/should be colder and stuff, I'm probably an idiot because it keeps slipping my mind. I'm sure of thought of that in the beginning and totally forgot later on. But yeah, if it didn't look like it up to now, I think I can arrange that without (entirely) contradicting all that has been going on up to now. And have I thanked you for those birdy things yet? Because you're the one who ended up reminding me that I should check wiki, because I thought of it a little then stopped after the first idea until you talked about lightweight and stuff. Also, if you know something about birds that wiki doesn't, please do tell! But yeah, thanks again! And cut down on the video games, it's bad for you. Trust me, I have first hand experience on this XD


	13. Ch12: Setup

**A/N****: I'm sorry the update took so long, but I had a hugeass writer's block, and all the getting sick and running around the country with friends (trust me I've **_**never**_** gone out this much during summer break in my **_**entire life**_**) and internet breaking down really didn't help **_**anything**_**. Also I have a plunnie overload with other fics that came up and one is already underway but I'm not posting it until I've gotten far enough to consider it as a fic that's gonna get somewhere. Besides, we're kinda getting to the point where there's just a gap of nothing in my timeline where I could make the characters do anything. I hate skipping months every time just to get to the next action plot, so no I won't do that, I'll kill myself and try to come up with a random event to pass time. So here's the update for you.**

**Disclaimer****: I've decided to go from weekly update to monthly update, because I have many other things to do and/or that are planned and don't always want to write this fic's next chapter. But that doesn't mean I'll stop- no way, not with so many wonderful readers. And yes, I changed my name. Again. This one's shorter and…well, the other KSAs will know what this penname is…*huhu***

* * *

_Chapter 12: Setup_

Saguru followed at the end of the group. The two girls he was walking right behind didn't seem very eager to see a dead body- he supposed no normal person did, but he had forgotten long ago how to be creeped out by a corpse. Shinichi and Heiji were right behind that Megure inspector, senses alert and ready to make use of some grey cells. Only Kaito had his hands clasped behind his head, with an expression that indicated clearly "doomed to boredom". That's why Saguru often wished Kaito would also pick up an interest in detective work, then he wouldn't feel like someone who didn't belong on the scene. Because there wasn't much magic you could do on a crime scene. Not that Saguru minded that, really.

The six of them walked into the office- because it was an office with a desk and everything- and immediately noticed the large man sprawled on the floor, eyes open wide in horror, glasses askew, a big pool of blood only just starting to dry. Quite the clean job, Saguru thought sarcastically. He saw out of the corner of an eye that Conan was already crawling around searching for clues. What puzzled him was that none of the officers seemed to care much about having a strange, bespectacled boy looking for evidence and fiddling with things. Instead, one of the officers came to meet Megure with a notepad in his hand.

"Victim is Tanaka Katashi, 37. Time of death is most likely 4:15pm. Cause of death is a deep and fatal stabwound in the heart, from the back. The weapon has yet to be found, but it looks like we should be searching for something resembling a dagger."

"Thank you, Takagi-kun. Who was it that discovered the body?" Megure asked.

"I-It was me, keibu." a man replied, stepping forward. Megure turned to him.

"You are?"

"My name is Watanabe Yamato. I'm also the person who called you here."

"How did you discover the body?"

"Well, cooking and kitchen work aside, my job is to bring Tanaka-san his tea every day at 3pm. I always bring it on a tray, in a thermos, with a cup. Today however he requested that I bring it at 4:15pm instead because he had a private meeting I was to not interrupt."

"Did you see the murderer?"

"W-Well, when I came here to bring the tea I saw Ito-san running out of the room, looking rather pale…"

"Takagi-kun, would you mind bringing this Ito-san here?"

"I'm on it."

Saguru watched as the officer called Takagi ran off. In the meantime he strode off to the victim's body and looked closely to see if something was off.

"Excuse me, Watanabe-san." Shinichi started, making Saguru look up at him. Shinichi was standing by the phone. "When you found the body, did you call the police immediately?"

"O-of course."

"Using this phone?"

"Yes."

Shinichi grabbed a handkerchief out of his pocket and picked up the receiver. He listened for a second then put it back down and went to look at something else. Heiji, he noticed, was just leaning against the wall staring at the ceiling with his hands in his pockets in a bored manner. Conan was now also done snooping and simply waiting. Saguru sighed and decided to join the "waiting club".

A few minutes later, Takagi came back to the room, closely followed by another man. No need to spend time guessing who it was. The man took a look at the room and paled as he saw the body that lay in a pool of blood.

"T-Tanaka-san? Tanaka-san is dead?" he asked, staring at the body. "I…that's…to think that…"

"Ito-san, would you mind telling us what you were doing at 4:15pm?" Shinichi asked before Megure could.

"Well, I had a private meeting with Tanaka-san until then." Ito replied. "That's the time around when we had an argument and I ran out of the office in anger."

"So you're the one who killed him?"

"No! Of course I hated the man, but I'm not yet insane enough to _murder_ anyone! Even if it's someone like him!"

Megure thought for a moment before turning to Takagi. "Well, we don't have any other choice for now. Ito-san, Watanabe-san, we would like to check your rooms for any evidence that could point out to the murderer."

Ito blinked as he finally noticed Watanabe's presence before they all left. The teens stepped out into the corridor and stopped in front of the door.

"Did'ya see the frown on Ito-san's face when he saw Watanabe-san?" Heiji asked quietly. The others nodded.

"What do you suppose that could mean?" Saguru asked.

"Maybe if you ask he'll answer." Kaito said flatly.

"That's not funny." Shinichi deadpanned.

"Kudo-kun," Ran whispered, closing in on Shinichi "I really think the police can handle this alone."

"Mmh? Ah, maybe. But it's still a bit early to say that, isn't it? This can either be a very simple case…or a terribly complicated one. Who knows how crazy a human mind can get…"

Who knows indeed…

"Anyone else think we should split up?" Heiji asked. "Tha police are goin' ta see Ito-san's office an' have tha suspects with 'em. One could follow an' the others look around elsewhere while the suspects ain't lookin'."

"That would be an actually rather good idea if it weren't for the fact that this is our first time in this building and have absolutely no knowledge of where everything is." Saguru replied flatly.

"Oh."

"Learn to think, Suzume-nou." Saguru sighed, heading off to follow the officers.

"Speak for ya'self, Baka-taka!" Heiji shouted after him.

"'Suzume-nou'? 'Baka-taka'?" Sonoko blinked. "Are those new insults or something?"

"Private nicknames." Kaito said simply. "Don't bother."

"Are any of you coming?" Saguru asked loudly behind him, before a set of several footsteps started sounding through the corridor.

_**xXx**_

Kaito followed the group in a rather bored manner. Arms crossed behind his head, he preferred to not say anything and just watch. He really wanted to just go ahead and unleash mayhem in the building, but that was a bad idea to do on a crime scene. He had also been ready to have the girls follow him outside, telling them they could leave the mystery otakus to themselves, but he still felt horribly uneasy if there wasn't at least one of the others around. There was absolutely no denying that Ran and Sonoko were wonderful people- they really did their best to help the boys fit in, and they were very nice.

The others from school too. It was strange how the group expanded from four to fourteen in a single morning- they wouldn't always all be together obviously, but it was still nice to know there were some that were willing to be your friend and give you a hand when you needed one. And just that made Kaito feel a lot more comfortable in a place such as school. Now he just had to practice with the rest of the world…

"While we search Ito-san's office, could you two please give us more details about your relationship with Tanaka-san?" Megure asked, Kaito finally realizing they had stopped.

"Pretty much all employees here had some sort of grudge against Tanaka-san." Ito answered. "To him, we were all just a bunch of filth. His slaves."

"Was he that horrible of a person?"

"He was." Watanabe confirmed. "He had everyone in this building under his control, he made everyone's life hell, and nobody could just walk away without consequences."

"Megure-keibu!" Takagi called. "There's a dagger with blood on it wrapped in a cloth here!"

"Murder weapon?"

"Most likely. The size and shape seem to fit."

Megure turned to Ito with a serious expression on his face. "Do you know what this means, Ito-san?"

"It means that I'm most likely the culprit, right?" Ito sighed. "But what about fingerprints? And is that really Tanaka-san's blood on there?"

"Hmm...Takagi-kun, please get this analyzed."

"Yessir!"

Kaito groaned as Saguru strode over to the place the dagger was found, while Shinichi and Conan started looking around. Heiji just stood there, hands in pockets. Odd. Kaito imagined Heiji would be the one looming around.

Kaito spotted something out of the corner of his eye- a trash bin that nobody had noticed, with something nice and incriminating inside. Ooh, goodie. Pretending like he was staring at the ceiling in his state of utter boredom he gave said trash bin a small kick as it toppled over.

"_Oops_~ I didn't mean to- oh hey, look! A pair of blood-covered latex gloves!"

Oh dear, Shinichi was giving him that "I know it was you" look… Kaito gave him an "It wasn't me this time" glare in return. Apparently Shinichi got the message, because he didn't insist much more. Heiji took and handkerchief from his pocket and picked the gloves up.

"More blood…Wanna have tha' analyzed too?" Heiji said with a hint of sarcasm. Ito simply stared at the gloves with a frown. He seemed to be thinking.

"You seem awfully calm for someone who's being suspected for murder." Saguru remarked.

"If I may say so, I think someone is trying to set me up." Ito replied after a moment of silence. "Watanabe-san, I believe that person would be you."

"Why would I want to set you up?" Watanabe blinked.

"Good question. Would you mind telling me what exactly it is I did to deserve your hate?"

"I- I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Ne, ne, Watanabe-san!" Conan piped up. "You said you brought Tanaka-san his tea every day at 4:15pm, right? Can we see the tea-set?"

"Why would you want to see the tea-set? Watanabe asked, perplex.

"Because I wanna see what kind of tea is inside!" Conan chirped brightly. "And maybe Saguru-niichan might also want some, since he likes tea a lot, right?"

"Hmm, tea sounds nice." Saguru mused with an absent smile. "But I don't think I would drink any."

"Yeah, whadd'if there's actually some poison in there?" Heiji snickered, deserving himself a thump on the head.

"Don't scare the boy, _boke_."

"Baka-taka, ya don't need ta whack me ta get ya point across!"

"And you don't need to shout, Suzume-nou."

"How about we leave these two lovers alone and look at the tea-set?" Kaito said with a bright and innocent grin. Heiji and Saguru gawped at him, each blushing furiously, while they all left and Watanabe lead the way. Kaito could've sworn Heiji and Saguru had looked at each and exchanged a sign of disgust before following.

_**xXx**_

Heiji was sulking. Privately of course, but sulking nonetheless. Him? With that arrogant, stuck-up jerk? He liked Kaito's jokes and sense of humor, but that one was unacceptable. He and that stupid hawk had been fighting with each other as far as Heiji could remember, constantly going at each other, Heiji often retaliating when the other came up with some insulting comment. Heiji held back a huff at the thought. Damn that guy, acting all high and mighty…

"So you push that trolley-thing all the way to Tanaka-san's office?" Conan asked.

"Well kid," Watanabe chuckled "it's a lot easier when you have an elevator. I don't think I'd be able to push it up the stairs every day."

"Don't your hands sweat when you hold it so tightly? It looks so heavy…"

"It's not that heavy really, and since I wear my gloves when I bring the tea it doesn't get all sticky and sweaty."

Heiji watched as Saguru picked the thermos up and inspected it before putting it back down. From the look on his face, there wasn't anything suspicious about it. _Why would there be anything suspicious about a thermos anyway?_ Heiji wondered.

"Hattori, what do you think of all this?" Shinichi asked quietly, walking over so they could speak without being overheard.

"Pro'lly the same as you." Heiji muttered. "This case is too easy. As soon as tha results come in, we got tha proof we need."

"You mean the dagger and gloves?"

"Yep."

"Do you think we should check his room for the last piece of evidence?"

"Nah, s'okay. We'll just use tha stuff we got an' corner 'im with 'at. Why? Ya don' think it's enough?"

"That's not it-"

"Megure-keibu!"

_**xXx**_

"Megure-keibu!" Takagi called, making everyone look up at the officer running towards the inspector. He stopped and gave a slight wave of the notepad he was holding. "We have the results. The blood found on the items belonged indeed to Tanaka-san, and Ito-san's fingerprints were found on the knife."

Ran turned to look at Shinichi and ask him what he thought of the case, if he had an idea of who the murderer was, if there was anything he thought strange-

She didn't quite expect to see him and the others smirking.

And then, somehow, she was sure of it. She had fallen for the worst, most naïve disguise ever.

Kazuki was right in front of her, pretending to be some imaginary twin brother.

* * *

**And now you have a month to solve this case. It's a rather crappy one, trust me. It almost makes you wonder why I was stuck on something like **_**this**_**. **

**By the way, I re-edited all the previous chapters, correcting whatever mistakes I could find and changing a few parts that didn't fit with whatever was written next (like Hakuba's hair going from blond to black and back to blond XD), so it might be a good idea to go and read the stuff over. Don't have to, but you get the point. Anyway, have fun~**

* * *

**Mangaluva**: What do you mean, you're "amazed it took so long"? For the first two chapters they were too busy escaping the Dark Ring to have a murder, then they were stuck in the Kudo house for a month- unless you want to kill off Yuusaku or Yukiko I think it's a bad idea to have a murder during that time- and so basically they have really only been outside for like a _day_ XD But yeah, the Shin x Ran x Kazu _is_ gonna be complicated…

**TwilTye**: *is shocked* And I thought _Conan_ was actually the most IC for now =O Guess not. *sigh* But yeah I did put kind of a bit in each. I know Shinichi isn't exactly canon (okay, maybe not at all), but Kazuki/Conan…umm…well, apparently not XD (And there's nuthin' wrong with being a curious kid. Nuh-uh. Nope XD)

**Terracanon876**: Glad you like it for now. I'm kind of scared of writing more because it's gonna get a little wacky, but I've already put vital elements and references in place so I can't back out anymore. Oh well, if the fic gets sucky it'll be my loss… Actually I had Conan comment that here because someone else once commented how Conan doesn't seem the least bit surprised at how _friggin' identical they look!_ I wanted to slap myself in the face after noticing "_Kami_ _she's_ right!" And the curse thing is something every fic-reader seems to agree on, so I just stole the idea like the previous thirty-six before me and now have no idea who was the first person to come up with that =D (Come to think of it, even _Aoyama-sensei_ mentioned it in the manga XD)

**Pretztailfan95**: There's nothing wrong with the color green, it's actually even my favorite (after blue, that is XD) It's just that Arina used "green" as a reference to something she couldn't say aloud and that only TJ could understand. And I think I must've fed Kaito some chocolate XD I know, they're not very IC, that kinda makes me wanna think this fic sucks…but with so many people reviewing I'd be a horrible person to stop it now XD Besides, I'm actually happy so many people are reviewing because no one did on my previous fics (they sucked as hell, no wonder nobody did…except "Forgive Me"). And now I'm trying to remember if Kaito has gone jumping on anyone or just on Shinichi…I think it's just Shinichi XD And yes I know the Shin x Ran x Kazu already looks complicated. Wait 'til you see what I have in store for later…

**xxBakaAkki**: Thanks for the bird facts! I'm definitely putting the windchimes somewhere, that sounds like fun *had the mental image of the four guys staring at it in confusion with weird faces XD* And does the shiny stuff apply to _all_ birds? Because that's the one bird-thing I used to determine Kaito as being called "Raven"…XD


	14. Ch13: Fingerprints Is The Key

**Hehe…that was kinda funny. Yesterday I posted a new oneshot called "Pizza Delivery", and overnight I ended up with eight reviews! Never had so many reviews on a single oneshot, much less in the space of twelve hours. I guess that just goes to proving that I was right in writing that thing. Anyway, enjoy today's update!**

* * *

_Chapter 13: "Fingerprints" Is The Key_

Megure looked up from the paper to Ito in a serious manner.

"Looks like all the evidence is against you, Ito-san." the inspector declared. Ito stared in shock before turning to Watanabe. He frowned.

"This was all your doing, wasn't it?" Ito murmured. Watanabe simply blinked at him.

"Wow, that was quickly done." Sonoko remarked. "So, Ran-chan, what's the plan after this? …Ran-chan?"

Ran wasn't paying attention to what Sonoko was saying, as her attention suddenly focused to the teens, and particularly Shinichi.

No, not Shinichi…_Kazuki_.

He had the boys gathered around him, including Conan, and was quickly muttering something to them, shooting short glances at Ito and Watanabe. Aside from Kaito, who decided to walk off in the middle of whatever was being said, the others were listening closely. With a final nod, they split. Conan ran out of the room while he and Heiji stepped back and joined Kaito. Saguru on the other hand came forward.

"Ito-san, would you mind-"

"Megure-keibu, may I kindly ask for your attention please?" Saguru interrupted politely. At that point, everyone's attention focused to him. Ran only looked at him for a second before turning back to watch her target, listening only absently to the conversation.

"Is something wrong?" Megure asked, his tone indicating he knew what was coming up.

"Actually, yes…before you take him away, I would like to tell you that Ito-san is clearly innocent."

"Even though all evidence points to him? Remember: we found a bloodied dagger and a pair of gloves in Ito-san's office. Ito-san's fingerprints were on the dagger, and test results indicated that the blood belonged to the victim."

"Yes, that is a lot of evidence indeed…too much, even."

"What do you mean, 'too much'?"

"There is so much evidence that it actually proves Ito-san innocent."

Silence. Ran looked away from her focus-victim to glance at the conversing party for a moment. Megure blinked.

"Why don't you think your list over and see what's wrong?"

Megure blinked again. Behind him, Takagi slapped a fist on his palm as an imaginary lightbulb switched on over his head.

"I get it! Megure-keibu, he means the fingerprints!"

"The fingerprints?"

"That's right! Ito-san's fingerprints were on the dagger. But they couldn't have gotten there if Ito-san was wearing gloves!"

"Oh, I see! But…assuming Ito-san was the murderer, why were there gloves in his office, then? Covered in blood, of all things?"

"Long story short, Ito-san was set up to appear as the murderer." Saguru continued as Ran turned back to look as her prey. "Which means…Watanabe-san, the culprit is you, isn't it?"

"…W-What? Don't kid around, boy. Of course I'm not the murderer-"

"Like most of the employees here, you had a strong grudge against the victim. You couldn't take it anymore. As you happened to learn of Ito-san's meeting with him, you grabbed a dagger that already had his fingerprints on it, wearing those very gloves over there to push the tea trolley up to the victim's office…and to not get your prints on the weapon. I'm assuming you hid it in the thermos and brought it there. Arriving at the office you saw Ito-san run out and away. You walked in like you usually do, talked to him for a minute and stabbed Tanaka-san while he had his back turned to you. After that you called the police and headed for Ito-san's empty office to hide the dagger and the gloves there. You also had plenty of time to change your blood-stained clothes and dump them in the big trash that happens to be right under Ito-san's office window."

"Hmph! Nice story, but do you have anything to back up your claim?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Conan-kun!"

_**xXx**_

"As a matter of fact, I do. Conan-kun!"

Conan walked into the room and over to Megure, handing him the paper he had gone to get. He had actually been standing at the door for a short time only, having just arrived in time to hear Watanabe ask for something to "back up their claim". Megure took the paper and looked at it in surprise.

"Thank you, Conan-kun. Megure-keibu, would you mind telling us what it says?"

"…It says they found Watanabe-san's fingerprints on the phone in Tanaka-san's office."

"Yes."

"Right…isn't that normal, since he's the one that called the police?"

"Actually not." Saguru smirked, crossing his arms. Conan took that as Saguru's 'The culprit is now unavoidably screwed' signature. "Supposing for a moment that Watanabe-san is not the murderer, it is still impossible for him to have left his fingerprints on the phone unless he took his gloves off." Conan held back his own smirk as Watanabe started to grow tense, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Why would he take his gloves off to call? The answer is simple: his gloves were covered in blood, and unless he wanted to leave blood stains on the phone, he could not have called without taking said gloves off."

"You…"

"Watanabe-san…why did you do this?"

"You…You little…"

Something in Conan's mind flashed as he stanced to take out Watanabe the moment he moved any farther than two meters.

"You little wretch!!"

Conan pulled out his gear and aimed at Watanabe, who flung himself at Saguru with a small knife- only to blink in surprise.

In the space of a half a second, Saguru had blocked Watanabe's armed hand, holding it tightly, his other hand in midair which was firmly gripped by Heiji at the wrist.

"That's enough." Heiji said sternly. Saguru released his hold as Watanabe let go of the knife and dropped to his knees on the floor. In the meantime, Takagi came and cuffed him.

_**xXx**_

"I really wonder what happened back there." Sonoko thought aloud. "I mean, Watanabe-san threw himself at Hakuba-kun with a knife…and the next second Watanabe-san has been stopped by Hakuba-kun, who's been stopped by Hattori-kun! What was Hakuba-kun going to do that Hattori-kun had to stop him, anyway? Do you have any idea?"

"Not at all." Kaito lied as he shook his head. They continued to walk in silence for a while.

"Ne, Kuroba-kun…" Sonoko started hesitantly. "…do you think it was a good idea to leave Ran-chan and Kudo-kun walk together without anyone else around? I mean aside from Conan-kun?"

Kaito blinked "Why are you asking me that?"

"Well, during the case…Ran-chan wouldn't stop staring at Kudo-kun. And I'm not sure how, but I could tell what she was thinking. She's probably going to take her chance while they're alone to confront him and point at him as being Kudo Kazuki."

"What's the problem then?" Kaito asked.

"I don't know…" Sonoko sighed. "A part of me is saying that Ran-chan is right and that he really is Kazuki-kun- the looks, the passions, it's just the personality that changes a little bit, Shinichi-kun is a bit more…calm and collected, not so much of a swelling balloon of ego that floats around town and smashes you wherever you walk, you know? I'd almost define Shinichi-kun as a slightly more mature version of Kazuki-kun, if you see what I mean."

"I do." Kaito chuckled. "But so the other part is telling you that Aniki really is who he is?"

"…Well, I can't tell you if he really is who he is, I just feel that Shinichi-kun isn't the same Kazuki-kun that Ran-chan and I have known for many years. I may not be Kazuki-kun's best childhood friend, but I _can_ tell that something just isn't right."

"What about Mouri-chan, then? Shouldn't she be able to feel that thing too?"

"Actually I'm almost sure she does. But…Kazuki-kun has been missing for several months now. For all I know he's only shown up once ever since and disappeared again a few minutes later. She's been so desperate to know Kazuki-kun was still around that she even started suspecting Conan-kun, for heaven's sake! I know the boy is smart and looks a bit like that detective jerk, but isn't that a bit exaggerated?"

Sonoko gave an angry huff and started silently swearing under her breath, but after a minute she just sighed again.

"In the end, all I really want is for Ran-chan to stop waiting for him like that. She's only hurting herself."

Kaito watched for a moment, then smiled and gave Sonoko a pat on the back.

"Don't worry. I understand you perfectly."

"Thank-"

"I'll help you get together with Kazuki!"

"Wai- What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Haha, you're blushing, you're blushing!"

"I don't have a crush whatsoever on Kazuki-kun!"

"So you have one on Aniki?"

"No!"

"On me?"

"Seriously Kuroba, you--- look like you could be Kazuki-kun is disguise yourself."

Kaito chuckled. "If I were really Kazuki, then who is Aniki?"

"I…don't know."

"Well then, Suzuki-chan, you'll just have to wait until our dear Kazuki comes back to clear all doubts before you can confess your feelings to him~"

"Urgh, you're impossible!" Sonoko huffed as Kaito went into a fit of giggles, dodging a whack to the head.

_**xXx**_

"Sorry for causing trouble."

"Eh?"

Heiji turned to look at Saguru and blinked. The blond detective raised his head and frowned at the dark-skinned teen.

"What, want me to say it again?" he spat.

"That's not it." Heiji retorted. "Ya just caught me off guard there."

Saguru looked away again. Heiji sighed.

"Listen Hakuba, ya can't expect us ta throw away what we grew up learnin' in just a month. I know ya didn't mean it."

"I nearly killed him back there."

"It was just a reflex. Like I said, ya can't expect us ta be normal people in a fingersnap, ya know?"

Saguru didn't respond. Heiji crossed his hands behind his head, looking up at the orange sky.

"But aside from that, solving tha case was pretty fun. It was easy as hell, but…man, I wanna do that again! Solving a case ya'self totally beats tha crap outta readin' one out of a book!"

"…I suppose so…"

Heiji watched Saguru for a moment before sighing again. He took a few quick steps forward and rooted himself to the ground right in front of Saguru.

"What is it?" Saguru scowled.

"I want ya ta pull ya'self together!" Heiji half-shouted, making Saguru blink in surprise. "I know that of us four ya're tha one who's most sensitive about who we are an' all, but bein' this beat really don' suit ya! I'd rather ya be that arrogant bastard ya always are, seein' ya like this jus' pisses me off even more!"

And with that, Heiji just started storming off, leaving Saguru to stand rather baffled at the gate of his mansion.

"And if ya need anythin', ya can be sure I ain't gonna help ya!" Heiji added, shouting from far-off as he was.

And, if anything, _that_ was what actually cheered Saguru up and made him smirk.

"_Boke_…"

_**xXx**_

"So you encounter them on a regular basis, you say?" Shinichi smiled.

"Yeah!" Conan chirped. "Megure-keibu and Takagi-keiji most often, but there's also Chiba-keiji, Satou-keiji, Shiratori-keiji that I know…but they're from the Police Department in Tokyo. We also meet Yamamura-keiji and Yokomizo-keibu every now and then, and sometimes others depending on where we go when we're on a trip."

"Wow, you sound like you're on crime scenes a lot…Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Shinichi asked worriedly, looking at Ran. "I mean, I know your father is a detective, but you or Conan-kun could easily get hurt…who knows _what_ on earth a criminal can think sometimes…

"Yeah, like a mad scientist that toys with human bodies and turns teenagers into mutants." Conan said flatly.

"You read too many Marvel comics." Shinichi scowled, despite knowing what Conan was referring to and happened to be the truth.

"Well, why not?"

Shinichi stopped and turned to look at Ran, who had stopped before he did and was staring down at the floor.

"…Mouri-chan?"

"I think it's possible. What Conan-kun said. Because then it would all make sense…the reason why you've been gone for so long…ne, Kazuki?"

* * *

**A big hooray for Mangaluva who managed to solve the case over Yahoo despite not going into details and bringing up the evidence that made Watanabe the obvious culprit! *glomp***

* * *

**FHP2208**: Don't worry, I'm just as stupid and addicted to DC fanfic as you are XD You don't have to leave elaborate reviews, it's just me that makes strangely elaborate replies…Kami knows where I get the imagination from…Yeah, see, I'm writing a full paragraph again XD I think the ShinRanKazu triangle is the thing that most readers seem to wonder about. Wait 'til Ai and Eisuke show up… There's the KaiAoSaguAka complex too, even if I haven't mentioned it yet…but it's coming XD Glad you like the fic up to now ^_^

**StargateNerd**: …I would rather you _don't_ die of oxygen deprivation XD But yeah, after suspecting Conan several times, she's now suspecting Shinichi. It seems a lot more obvious to think that way because nobody knew Kazuki had a brother (well, he doesn't really XD), and Shinichi only looks so damn much like Kazuki, so…but obviously she'll be proven wrong at some point XD

**xxBakaAkki**: It's been a while since your last review because it's been a while since my last update. As in, two months. Urgh. The one way to become rich: send the birds a heist note saying you're gonna steal their entire nest. Oh, and I could make Saguru Kaito's sidekick during heists (look at his name, "accomplice" indeed XD) Fanart……XD

**Mangaluva**: For some reason I can't help but think of Kyo and Yuki…"Suzume-nou" means "Sparrow-brain" and "Baka-taka" means "Stupid hawk", but you probably guessed as much XD Well, here goes Ran…x)


	15. Ch14: Because We'll Never Be

**Next one up! I had this one finished like a week early or so…mainly so that I didn't have to worry about it anymore…you may think I rushed it a little (which I did, I'll admit), but I also spent lots and lots of time rewriting (especially the first scene, I think I erased and changed the entire thing from scratch like five times or so) and spell-checking, and refining a little certain moments. If there are any more mistakes, please tell!**

* * *

_Chapter 14: Because We Can Never Be_

Shinichi blinked. Conan started going into a panic. Ran stared at Shinichi waiting for him to fess up. Shinichi proceeded to look at her like she had said a really bad joke.

"Mouri-chan, that's not very funny."

"And what you are doing is sick, Kazuki." Ran replied acidly.

Shinichi frowned.

"Stop it. I thought I made it very clear today that I hate being mistaken for him?"

"Only because you want to make everyone believe you do. I doubt you hate it as much as claim to."

Shinichi blinked in surprise. And he regretted it as soon as he did.

"…You're right." Shinichi admitted quietly, looking down to the floor. Next to him Conan was desperately refraining from flailing his arms around to make him stop. "You're right, I don't."

"…Kazuki-"

"If anything, Kazuki is who I wish I _could_ have been."

This time, it was Ran's turn to blink. Conan blinked as well.

"Kazuki…he's always been so much more confident than I have." Shinichi lied smartly. "Of course he's a little ego-inflated, of course he has his faults, but there are so many qualities he has that I could never hope to have myself and I'm rather jealous of him for that. Whether I'm mistaken for Kazuki or not isn't what bothers me most. I just…I don't want people to compare me to him, because honestly? I'm not worth him being compared to…"

It suddenly hit him. His own words had just whipped him right where it hurt most.

That was no lie. It was the truth. There were so many things Kazuki had and that he didn't, so many things Kazuki was and that, even though his presence right there, right then, right in front of Ran and 'Conan' was so he could come closer to the life he seeked…the life he so desperately hoped for…no matter how hard he tired, he would never be like Kazuki or anyone else.

The knowledge of being nothing more than a science project to study on came back and dropped full weight on his heart.

Shinichi smiled bitterly.

"I seem to just never be able to get over it, huh…?" he muttered quietly to himself.

He turned around and stared a while before chuckling lightly.

"Ah, I didn't notice which way we were going. I thought I would walk you home, but it looks like the two of you walked _me_ home instead." He turned back to Ran and smiled. "While you're here, would you like to come in? I'm sure Tou-san and Kaa-san will be happy to see the two of you."

Ran watched him for a moment in sort of daze before snapping out of it. She shook her head with a smile.

"Ah, no, but thank you for the offer… I need to go home and make dinner. We might come by some other time though?"

Shinichi nodded.

"Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow at school. Oh- by the way, if you still think I'm Kazuki, could you refrain from telling the entire school please? I…already got too much attention today, I don't want people thinking my identity was all nothing more than a well-planned prank."

"It's okay. I don't think you're Kazuki anymore."

Shinichi blinked. Ran smiled.

Shinichi smiled back.

"Thank you, Mouri-chan."

He walked all the way to the gate and opened it, closing it behind him and heading for the manor.

_Because we can never be what we want to be_.

_**xXx**_

The next day, Shinichi gently dropped his bag on his desk and started taking some of his books out so he could be ready for class. At the same time, he heard Kaito bounce into the room and stop beside him.

"Hello Kaito." Shinichi said without looking up at him. "Is there something you want?"

"I just wanted to say hi!" the magician chirped brightly. "By the way, Aniki…" Kaito's tone suddenly dropped extremely low, so that only Shinichi could hear "…did something happen last night? My senses were screaming at me to run to your house."

Shinichi chuckled. "You never fail to feel it, do you? Even when you're miles away…" He straightened and smiled at Kaito. "Science-class is starting soon. If anything, I'm just hoping it won't be about DNA…"

Kaito smiled weakly. "I understand. We only know too much already, don't we?" Shinichi nodded and received a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Cheer up! At least you'll be able to correct any mistakes the teacher makes, won't you? But if you're still down, you can use this spray can and turn you teacher's hair pink!"

"Kaito, I don't think I'd go unnoticed if I pulled something like this out and ran to his desk to spray his hair full."

"Aww, don't say that! Want a smoke bomb while you're at it?"

"I thought I'd find you here, Kuroba."

Kaito grinned.

"Hello Hakuba." Shinichi greeted politely. "How are you after yesterday's events?"

"I'm alright, don't worry about me." Saguru replied, pretending it was all a perfectly natural conversation despite the hidden words. "However, it would seem we made quite a stir in the morning news…the entire media world is talking about 'the mysterious kokosei-tantei group that tries to follow Kudo Kazuki's brilliant mind'." Saguru ignored Kaito's snickering. Shinichi smiled.

"It's alright, they can say whatever they want as long as they don't write articles about us being aliens or something."

Saguru shrugged.

"Just thought you'd want to know. Now, on to business: Kuroba, if we don't leave soon, we'll be late for our own class."

"Right-o!" Kaito grinned. With a fingersnap, a puff of smoke erupted and the two teens vanished along with it. Shinichi failed to hold back a sigh. But his sigh wasn't the only one to be heard.

"Sonoko-chan? What's wrong?" Ran asked.

"Eh? Oh, nothing, don't worry."

"Hmm, could it be that you have a crush on someone?"

"Ran-chan, you know I like all sorts of good-looking guys!"

"I don't mean that kind of crush."

"What are you talking about? How can there be several-"

"Let me guess, it's-" Ran dropped her voice, but not enough for Shinichi to not hear "-Kuroba-kun, isn't it?"

"Ran-chan, I-"

"It's alright Sonoko-chan…your secret is safe with me."

Silence followed. Shinichi stared at the two girls a little towards the front, particularly Sonoko. He felt sorry for her. He knew that even if Kaito crushed on her as well, they probably wouldn't be together. Not without her knowing who they were. _What_ they were.

_Because we can never be what the world wants us to be_.

Shinichi made to stand up, but as the teacher walked in he resigned. Instead, he waited until class started to pull out a piece of paper and start writing on it. He folded it and waited until lunch time for Sonoko and Ran to go ahead of him before slipping it under Sonoko's desk and leaving.

_**xXx**_

"Watching them again, aren't you?"

Akako frowned.

"Their auras…they're strong. They have lived in darkness for a very long time, haven't they?"

"Yes…and only recently escaped from darkness' grasp."

"Recently?"

"A month or so."

"Can you tell just by feeling their auras?"

"…I can't feel their auras."

Akako managed to not blink in disbelief and keep a straight face.

"Koizumi-san…surely you have noticed that my powers and that of my…'comrades' are quite different from yours?"

Akako did not reply. And her 'partner' did not seem very inclined to go into details.

"…You know who these people are, don't you?" Akako asked quietly.

"…I do."

"Why are you watching them, then?"

If anything, Akako was surprised to see a smile on that person's face. Not a cold one. A friendly one.

"They're out of the nest, but not yet ready to fly. Even if they're from the Dark Ring…I'll protect them when they need it, whether they know it or not."

"Feeling generous, aren't you? In that case you might feel like telling me what the Dark Ring is as well?"

"…You already know too much, Koizumi-san."

"Then what is another question compared to those that have already been answered?"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"…Because we'll never be…"

Too many questions, not enough answers. Too many mysteries left unsolved…What was that last phrase supposed to mean? Akako only absently noticed as her 'target' walked past her and left her to stand alone and ponder over an unfinished sentence by the school building's wall.

_**xXx**_

"What do you want, Redwood? Make it quick, I'm busy."

"Other members are starting to doubt you as far as your 'abilities' are concerned."

"Then let them doubt me. I don't care what they think, I'm just doing what I'm told."

"I know you are, but they're still starting to think you're trying to protect-"

"As I said, I don't care what they say or think. I can't feel them any more than they can feel me. Either they're too far, or our bond is close to nothing, though it's most likely both."

"...Give them a location. Any location. We already know they're disguised as regular citizens, even if they happened to figure out more or less where to look they would still need time to uncover them."

"Redwood, are you telling me to give away their position?"

"No, I'm telling you to say _anything_. True, false, it doesn't matter. Of course I want them to be safe and live their life while they can, but…I don't want you to be endangered because of that."

"Hmph. I appreciate your concern, but I don't need it. There's nothing that can be done about me anyway."

"Ah, wait-"

"You should worry more about yourself, for the time being. You and Maple are all they have…maybe they will gain more from life over time, but if they lose you now…they will have nothing left. You need to focus on being their support, even if from the shadows…they need to know that you're there even if they can't see you. The moment you disappear…they'll break."

"…You seem to know a lot about them for someone who doesn't have a bond to them."

"Well, as it so happens, I know a lot about the subject. Besides…I wouldn't want to lose my support either."

"…May I ask one more question?"

"What is it?"

"…Why…is it that you all seem so much despaired than the others?..."

"…Because we'll never be."

* * *

**I'm not too proud of this chapter because of all the quick-skipping to the next scene…but maybe the last two scenes with Akako, Redwood and their mysterious comrades added a little bit of spice?**

* * *

**Marie Ravenclaw**: And the fic more or less only just started. *Goes to fetch list* Yep, I still have other murders and some heists to write, then more characters to introduce (some DC crew that we haven't seen yet, basically), some angsty stuff, romantic couple-bringing as well, a few battles and a couple fillers too. And that's just the main story. Whatever doesn't fit in there will be posted in other places, such as sub-chapters that revolve around the OCs only and omakes (see "Astrological Love Test"). And that also changes from the regular stuff, huh? We always see Shinichi being suspected of hiding what he's hiding, now he's being suspected of being someone even though he's really someone else, despite the fact that's she's right in saying he's not who he seems to be. And Hakuba's move was indeed going to be some evil killing move that he grew up learning.

**Terracannon876**: For one, I had no idea how to make her…uh…damn, I can't translate this, "tourner autour du pot" XD A commonly-used french thing to say that you're not going straight to the point. Secondly, I figured that I'd just make her be rather pissed with the fact that "Kazuki" is obviously standing right under her nose pretending to be someone else (which is true, but she's got the wrong target here XD) And come on, the case sucked. Someone got stabbed and the murderer pinned the crime on the guy that came in before him, end of story. We all knew it was Watanabe anyway XD

**StargateNerd**: I like making things be the complete opposite of what they're supposed to be, don't I? Kinda like Mangaluva in "When Pandora's Box Is Opened": Ran – Conan…your real name is Kudo Shinichi. Conan – There's no way! It's impossible! (Oh how I loved that idea XD) It's gonna be fun to see how Sonoko's and Kaito's relationship develops, because Kaito and Sonoko never really met in real life and it's gonna have a certain impact on how KID acts with Sonoko later on, I guess. As in the contact between KID and Sonoko is gonna be rather different than from the manga due to the fact that they go to the same school and are actually rather good friends. (No, that doesn't mean KID will end up OOC…then again, they already all are XD). And if Ran does a DNA test on Shinichi, she'll figure out that not only is he not Kazuki, but on top of that his entire body system has been tampered with. So DNA testing won't be anytime soon =P

**Kayla Edogawa**: I thought it seemed rather obvious XD Then again, I could have decided to make it a horribly stupid case where everything just says "Yep, it's all as it seems, Ito was the murderer." Shinichi hasn't been around Ran for all that long, she suspected him after a day only. Yeah…First day out and all hell breaks loose XD

**FHP2208**: Have you ever tried drawing a sketch with little boxes and names in them? You'll be surprised to see how many lines connect with each other if you put in Conan, Shinichi, Ran, Ai, Eisuke. And you can even keep adding on, like Ayumi and Mitsuhiko and Genta and Araide…and it almost never stops, ya know? It's really crazy when you look at all the love strings, requited or unrequited. And yeah, KaiAoSaguAka: Kaito-Aoko-Saguru-Akako. It's also a rather strange love square when you look at it. AND I'M CRAZY TOO! I mean really, that's how I even managed to decide on putting this fic up in the first place. Had I been saner, I wouldn't have. And thus entirely missed out on a chance of letting people read something you all apparently like =3

**Mangaluva**: Yes, they do all need a pose like that. Conan has one, Saguru has one, I think Heiji has one too. Do I make one for Kaito? XD The thing about the HeiSagu/KyoYuki comparison is that I didn't even do it on purpose. By the time I noticed what I did, I thought "Oh well, I'll just go with it, it fits anyway XD" But as for who is who, it doesn't really matter does it? Because no matter how much they look alike, Heiji and Saguru will never be Kyo and Yuki…XD


	16. Ch15: Medical Panic

**I'm speechless. I am so. Utterly. Speechless. I've never had so many reviews in my life. We're at 54 reviews on the fic and 11 of them were on the previous chapter XD No, really, I'm extremely happy to see that so many like my fic and I really really appreciate the fact that you stop and take time to review, it means a lot to me. Thank you very, very much *bows and starts handing out cookies and chocolate***

**As a random note, whether you noticed or not, I've decided to update the chapters on every 14****th**** of the month- my 14****th****, basically (yes it has a special connotation to me, shut up 83). And looking at things, this is actually a rather complicated fic to write. Even though I have the main skeleton of the story, it's still always hard to come up with a proper development. All the more so when I'm over-developing things as chapters go on. If this keeps up, we're easily headed for 100 chapters *headdesk* **

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_Chapter 15: Medical Panic_

Days had quickly come and gone, and as far as Kaito was concerned, school was as horrible as the Dark Ring. But only in the sense where you learned that this is how it was and there was no way around it. Kaito has tried very hard to find things to throw the teachers off, but for someone who had stepped out into the world only forty days ago, it wasn't all too easy.

Of course, if Kaito had to choose between school and Dark Ring, it would be school.

There wasn't really much thinking to do when it came to school. Firstly, when it came to the architecture, the school was bigger. Much bigger. The entirety of the school grounds were about the size of the Dark Ring hideout itself, but at least here they could access any and every place they wanted. Okay, maybe not the teachers' rooms, but aside from that, school was still much bigger. There were also tons of windows that didn't exist in the underground. At least when you opened the windows here you could get some light and air, underground you couldn't. Because of the size of the school, you could also go and run around three times for some exercise- as long as you didn't get caught by head-of-the-disciplinary-committee Suiyami or some teacher, that was. But that was strange, because when Kaito pulled off some funny magical prank during class Suiyami didn't bother to go and give him what he deserved. Either he knew it was useless, or he was scared to end up in another accident like the one where Kaito had turned his hair silver (the color was still there, and Kaito was pretty sure it wouldn't go away before a few weeks…he actually felt rather sorry for him). And if Suiyami didn't move, neither did the teacher. Then again, Aoko was the one who did most of the scolding for them. Saguru only did a little, because he knew it was pointless.

But what made Kaito especially happy were friends.

Shinichi, Heiji and Saguru were obviously his ever-favorites, having been raised along with them- even Heiji and Saguru's constant bickering was happily welcomed by the magician. He loved pouncing on 'Aniki' at every possible occasion, too. He didn't do that to others ("And thank goodness you don't" Shinichi had said the other day, making Heiji laugh.), because…well, Shinichi was special. Though he knew Heiji wouldn't be bothered too much by that and that it would be fun to see Saguru's reaction, it was just something between Shinichi and him. His classmates shrugged it off as it being Kaito, but it was…much deeper actually. It wasn't love, but it felt like more than just "brotherly love", as Heiji and Saguru assumed it was. How Shinichi felt about it Kaito didn't know, but to Kaito it was almost like something he needed to do or he wouldn't be able to feel right during the rest of the day.

Feathered fellows aside, he got along well with Kori (she never spoke but nobody could do anything about it anyway), Keiko (she was okay), Akako (despite the fact that Kaito found her to be rather creepy), and most especially Aoko. Maybe because she was easiest to tease. Ran and Sonoko were also very nice, as well as Kazuha, Arina, Tracy and Hatsuki. He could also remember Thomas, but for some reason he didn't seem to be around too often. According to Hatsuki, Thomas was also a new transfer student, just not directly from France- he'd been in Hokkaido the previous year ("If I hadn't known better, I would've said he's just as scared of contact as we are." Saguru had commented the other day. That had Kaito wondering if Thomas was also from the Dark Ring, but then again he'd remember a comrade wouldn't he?)

But school had its downfalls, too. For example, the horror of all horrors that was going to happen and that he couldn't escape.

Medical examination.

"I dun' wanna~" Kaito whined, slumped over his desk. Saguru, back against the wall- okay, window- in front of said desk, sighed.

"Stop it Kuroba, you're making a bigger deal out of it than it is. Kudo and Hattori made it out fine this morning. As long as Araide-sensei is the one to check us up-"

"What is it about Araide-sensei?" Aoko asked.

"Araide-sensei happens to know about…well, about a few problems Kaito and I have, and we'd actually feel much better if Araide-sensei was the one to take care of us rather than having to explain everything to Eita-sensei…"

"Oh no! I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay, it's not-' Kaito started.

"No, I meant I'm sorry to hear that you would've preferred Araide-sensei because he left an hour ago. Apparently, one of his personal clients had called him for an emergency." Aoko said sheepishly. Saguru paled, Kaito dropped his head on his desk with a bang.

"We're doomed." Kaito concluded painfully.

"…Is it that bad?" Aoko hesitated.

"It's…rather bad, yes." Saguru admitted.

At the same time, the school echoed with the announcement that class 2-B was to go to the infirmary for examination. The two of them trotted off, following their classmates from the very end of the group. Saguru had to half-drag a very reluctant Kaito despite desperately thinking of a way out himself. But it was already too late. They were there.

"Alright everyone, when I call your name you are to follow me into the room." Eita announced, proceeding to read the paper in her hand. "Akiyashi Minako!"

Minako stepped forward, entering the room and Eita closing the door behind them. All classmates began to chat happily among each other. Saguru used this to talk to Kaito without being overheard by suspicious ears.

"What are we gonna do?!" Kaito mouthed, managing only halfway to not flail his arms in panic.

"I don't know yet, and where on earth did you leave your so called Poker Face?" Saguru whispered hastily.

"Screw Poker Face, if we don't do something Eita-sensei will know we're not normal!" Kaito squeaked back. "And I thought _you_'d be the one panicking here!"

"Trust me, I am." Saguru replied, unable to hold back a shudder. "Especially since I'll be the first of us two to be called in."

Kaito felt his body go limp as he looked at Saguru with the most compassion he had shown for him in years.

Sometime later, Minako came out and Eita called in the next student.

"Minako took exactly nine minutes and forty-three seconds, which means around ten minutes…" Saguru muttered quickly to himself, thinking fast. Kaito listened absently. "Considering that Eita-sensei is calling us in alphabetical order and there are still six students before me left, including Chiba-chan who jus went in, I still have another hour, and Kuroba another thirty minutes after me…"

"Hakuba, I'm glad you know your math, but it's _really_ not helping _at all_." Kaito whimpered finally.

"It helps to know how much time we have to come up with something."

The other students continued to chatter, waiting for their turn, Saguru and Kaito silently thinking. Time went by, students went in and came out, and sooner than the boys would have wanted the last person before Saguru's turn was called in. Kaito turned his head and saw his friend was pale enough to look like he was about to faint. Kaito sighed and shuddered. It was the end of them.

His shoulders tensed with a small yelp as someone touched him, making him turn with a jump. Kori held her notepad up at him.

_Have you seen Suiyami-kun?_

"Ah…No, I haven't…" Kaito breathed. "What about you, Hakuba?"

"I've noticed he's been absent for quite a while now…do you think he skipped medical examination?"

Kori shook her head and scribbled something down.

_He got checked up by Araide-sensei this morning_. _But he should still have been around_.

"I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid that doesn't tell me where he could be…" Saguru apologized.

"Maybe he's patrolling the buildings for wrong-doers?" Kaito suggested with a snicker. Saguru gave him an accusing glare that Kaito knew only too well.

Kori thought for a moment and started to scribble another phrase down before they all jumped and looked around as a shrill sound resonated in the entire the school building and possibly further.

The fire alarm had just gone off.

Eita came out, closely followed by the student she had started checking and began to give orders as for the group to remain calm and stick together while they went out onto the grounds. Kaito and Saguru didn't calm down: they nearly fainted in relief.

The entire school gathered on the grounds outside the building in classes. The students were talking excitedly among themselves about how early the first practice session had come this year. Kaito figured Saguru had that already noted down as odd. Eita rounded the class up, trying to get them in one place so they didn't mix up with other classes. Making a row of pairs, Eita started counting them…and two were missing.

Kaito blinked. "I know Suiyami isn't here, but who's the other one?"

"Terada Ichiro, apparently he's gone off to play hide-and-seek again." Keiko replied.

"'Hide-and-seek'? What do you mean?" Saguru asked.

"Every time the alarm goes off, there are a few students who run from the group while nobody is looking and go for a walk in the school building instead." Keiko explained before smiling. "But even if they get scolded later, they're always waiting for us back in class, or at least in front of the room. Terada-kun is one of the guys who like to do that. The teachers don't know it since it was a different teacher every time, but the rest of us know by now."

"Well, now we know where Terada is- more or less- but we still have no clue as to where Suiyami-"

"Sorry. Late." came Felix's droning, distant voice from behind. He was talking to Eita. "I'll bring Terada later. He's in my office."

"O-Oh, really? In that case, I'll leave it to you."

"Thank you. Also, Araide-sensei requested that I give you this list. The five names on there are students he would like to take responsibility for once he gets back."

"These five? Let's see…Hamada Hideaki and Narita Yuuta from 2-A…Hakuba Saguru, Kuroba Kaito and Sasaki Ryouichi from 2-B…Alright then, I'll make sure these five know they'll be checked by Araide-san."

"Lucky~" Kaito smiled, sharing a sigh of relief with Saguru for the second time that day. The magician turned as he felt a pat on his shoulder.

"Heard everythin'." Heiji grinned. "Close one, eh?"

"That was about as scary as swimming with a school of moonfish, but we survived." Kaito grinned back.

"Does that mean I can toss you in an aquarium without worrying about you dying?" Saguru asked.

"_Certainly not!!_" Kaito squawked, hiding behind Heiji. The two detectives laughed.

"Haven't heard you laugh in a while, Hakuba." Shinichi smiled, joining the gang.

"After that horrendous hour of torture and terror, a bit of laughter is rather refreshing. Besides, I'm not _that_ tight-"

"Alright everybody, time to get back in!!" Eita shouted. Heiji and Shinichi grinned one last time at their two friends before leaving for their own respective classes. Eita led the way back to the infirmary and continued the medical examination, Kaito chatting happily with Saguru as if they had both completely forgotten their previous worries…

_**xXx**_

Akako slowly walked towards the wall of the building where she usually found who she was looking for. She was surprised to see that person wasn't there. She turned and tried the next most likely place. Not there either. When she had asked a student nearby, she learned that person had left quite a while ago. She frowned.

Was that person avoiding her?

Then again, she wouldn't be surprised. That person knew so many things nobody else knew…Things even Lucifer didn't want to give a clear answer to. Surely had her search been predicted and that person arranged things to be able to leave before she came to find him. Akako smirked as she gazed into the setting sun. She could easily corner her prey tomorrow. Even for that mysterious all-knowing person, school was relatively unavoidable…unless, of course, one was ready to get the attention of the three kokosei-tantei that lurked in the classrooms…

_**xXx**_

"…Redwood? What are you doing?"

"Heading out."

"Heading out to do what?"

"Visit an old friend of mine…I haven't seen him in a while."

"May I ask who that old friend is?"

"Paloverde's cousin. The last time we shared a glass was a week before you decided to blow Paloverde up."

"Ah, yes, I might remember Paloverde…That foolish stage-magician, wasn't it? How long has it been? Nine years now?"

"More or less…Either way, I'm off. My friend is expecting me. Please tell Maple I'll be fine."

"Redwood, are you sure you can just leave like this?"

"...Tell me, Gin, do I look like I'm about to do something that'll betray the Dark Ring? I know you still have suspicions as far as my loyalty is concerned- considering that I was very close to the boys, your suspicions are perfectly understandable- but do you want to make me believe that visiting old friends is now forbidden? Track me, bug me, do whatever you feel like to monitor my movements and words if it can satisfy you. I'm not doing anything wrong."

"…"

"Well? What are you waiting for? Are you going to bug me or not?"

"…We'll see. I might take you up on that offer…"

"Go ahead."

Despite saying those words, Redwood did not wait for Gin to stick any devices on him. Instead, he simply walked out of his room and left the hideout, passing along the way a teenage girl in a white lab coat…

* * *

**By the way, I thought the names of the boys over and considered possibly changing the names of the twins (Jay and Raven). Shinichi would be Raven as some thought or suggested, and Kaito…several ideas were up and I stuck to Mag (as in Magpie). Kinda weird, unless you prefer Pie? XD Anyway, since I figured I'd let you people decide, I put up a poll. I also have a forum under construction (there are still threads that need to be made and the design needs a major redo cause I suck as hell at making forum designs), but if you wanna go ahead and check it out you can go and see it on "birds-of-a-feather(dot)ohmyforum(dot)net(slash)index(dot)html".**

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**Myvampirepuppy**: Glad you like the story! We've already tried several times, but the top screen just won't work. It doesn't mean we can't play the games anymore, but we're still missing the top screen and it's a bit of a pain (my brother finished 'Explorers of Darkness' without the top screen entirely, and when we borrowed his bud's DS which _had_ a top screen and we were like "Oh my GOD"), but so yeah, we're dealing with it as we can XD

**FHP2208**: I think if I weren't crazy the world wouldn't be spinning right. Not for me, anyway- I just realised half my life entirely depends on my craziness 83 As for the reason why I don't like the story too much is actually just a problem of self-confidence. The idea I originally had seemed like a good idea, but then it kinda started spinning off away from what it was meant to be at first, but I couldn't change it anymore because I'd already put in hints in an updated chapter- not that you'd know which one or what exactly, but they're there.

**Mangaluva**: *hands tissue* I have yet to see any of Harpo's stuff.

**PlayingThePiano**: Conan is not a protagonist in the sense where he's been given the same fate as Shinichi, Kaito, Heiji and Saguru, but he's still one of the several characters that will be coming up most. I've already written a few Conan-point-of-view parts, which most characters won't be getting. And I also like the idea of that situation a lot, because it really _is_ awkward, and later it's gonna be some kind of unspoken battle between Shinichi and Kazuki as to who will Ran choose in the end…which is also gonna be very awkward because of Kazuki being stuck in a kid's body and not telling her to protect her and Shinichi having a fit with his feelings because him being with Ran would in his mind have terrible consequences. Ranting~ Shut up Key 8D

**Marie Ravenclaw**: If you can't draw up even a single possible suspect, then that's good. That's the very purpose of mystery characters. I might consider dropping a hint or two, but I don't think I should because then I can really go "HA! You'd have never expected _that_!" 8D And yes Shinichi managed to divert her attention for now, but I've remembered something that will be ultimate proof as to Shinichi and Kazuki being two different guys entirely- aside from DNA. Not saying what, but it's undeniable proof XD

**Miss1n6**: Two words: "Angst Fic". Update is, as stated in the first A/N, every 14th of the month. I might do faster updates as time goes by but that all depends on how much I write…

**XxBakaAkki**: So, like, I'm getting an award for "most unpredictable fic-writer" maybe? Then again, I've seen others write crack that nobody aside from the writer can understand. Ah well XD

**StargateNerd**: *evil cackle* I'm keeping _ALL _the readers on edge, aren't I? I don't remember how that popped up in my head, it was just…there XD (Shinichi with a smoke bomb…hmm…*starts to consider that idea a little more seriously XD*)

**Animegirl1987**: Yeah, I'm sorry about it being only every month, but unless my writing suddenly gets faster, I won't change it (stupid writer's block) Yes, there is worse than waiting for a new chapter of an unfinished fic…it's called "waiting for a new chapter of _Mangaluva's_ unfinished fic". I mean I swear, the entire DC fandom was on edge reading that thing and nobody could wait for the next day! And now she started her newest fic and we need to wait _some more_? Anyway, I'm glad you like this fic, even if it meant breaking your rule XD

**Yukirimi**: Like, whoa XD *hands tissue* I knew my fic was pretty original, but to the point of making readers cry of joy…I'd have never expected XD And what do you mean by "replicas"? You mean things like oneshots of everyone's version of how Conan admitted to Ran he was Shinichi and how DCMK ended? In that case, Mangaluva's "When Pandora's Box Is Opened" is one version that nobody would have ever come up with even if their lives depended on it. I mean _really_ XD

**Llamaglamasama**: I will continue it, no worries there. If I had thousands of unfinished fics and had to finish only one, it would most likely be this one =3 OCs aren't really that hard to make, you just have to give them the right quirks to make them interesting. What's really hard about OCs is to make sure they don't turn into Mary/Gary-Sues. Nearly made Felix one at some point, and decided to start the entire chapter over XD Glad I did. I still have the original file in storage, but I'm_ not_ posting that here XD


	17. Ch16: Autumn Thread In My Home

**Updating this one very late, I remembered right as I was about to go to sleep. I've had a strange day, filled with awesomeness and incredible horrors, so I'm still not sure if I should consider it a good or bad day. Also, after noticing that in my review replies I am constantly referring to Mangaluva's "****When Pandora's Box Is Opened****" fic, I decided I have to do something. And I most likely will. I just have to figure out what.**

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_Chapter 16: Autumn Thread In My Home_

Heiji rocked slightly back and forth on his chair, chewing on the end of his pen while staring at the plain, blank ceiling. Of course he was bored out of his wits, but at least the ceiling was ten times more interesting than the lesson the teacher was droning on about, so it was kind of a comfort to stare upwards despite how sad the situation actually was. Finding comfort in a ceiling wasn't exactly something everyone did, after all.

"Hattori Heiji." the teacher called sternly. Heiji narrowly avoided sending her a deadpan look and dropped the balanced chair to the floor before standing up.

"Yes, Atsuri-sensei?"

"Since you so wonderfully listened to what I've been talking about for the past twenty minutes" she said with a sarcastic smile, Heiji rolling his eyes "I'm sure you understood everything and can solve the problem written on the board right here." She gave a small tap on said board. Two or three students in the classroom snickered, Heiji sighed and walked up to the board.

"The answer is 574.38." Heiji stated simply, before the teacher even managed to hand him the piece of chalk. She blinked. Heiji grabbed the chalk and started scribbling down the entire solution.

It took Heiji two full minutes to finish.

"If I use the method Atsuri-sensei generously took the time to explain, the entire solution looks like this." Heiji explained, pointing at the now mostly covered board. The students blinked at him and his horrendously long response to the problem, with, as Heiji said, 574.38 as the answer. Heiji wiped a part of it off- the last bit, since it was always easier to figure out the rest once you had the beginning- and drew a line, right under where he had stopped erasing the previous problem. "However, if you proceed to solving it like this-" Heiji scribbled some more, writing only two lines compared to the previous six "-you will end up with the same result no matter what or how. So long as this can be transposed as '_x'_ and this as '_y'_, this formula is not only much shorter, but also a lot less complicated and therefore twice as accurate and effective."

When he realised that the entire class was staring at him, Heiji knew something was wrong. Then they all clapped and cheered. The dark-skinned detective blushed a little.

"But I thought that was basic knowledge…" he muttered timidly. Thank Kami nobody else heard him, and most especially the teacher.

"Fine, you proved you're the smarter one, now get back to your seat.' She fumed. Heiji didn't need to be told twice: he dropped back on his chair with a sigh of relief. Even though he loved being a detective, he wasn't one to stand on stage like Kaito did. And most certainly not for something as simple as what he'd just demonstrated.

Oh, that's right. The Dark Ring had entirely different learning standards than regular school.

Heiji sighed again and slumped on his desk, thinking back to the fire alarm the previous day as the teacher continued her lesson. According to what he'd heard the others say- and Shinichi, Kaito and Saguru confirmed hearing the same- the "practice session" had come strangely early. The teachers seemed to have found it rather unexpected too, judging from Mikazawa's face when it went off. Which meant that, obviously, someone other must have triggered it.

There were several options as to that. One: it was an accident and some extremely clumsy student that happened to be looming around the buildings smashed into it somehow (very unlikely- then again, Tracy was clumsy enough to do that, but Heiji remembered him sitting two seats behind, and the poor boy was too busy trying to fend off Arina's poking anyway). Two: someone thought it would make a wonderful prank (for some reason an image of Kaito showed up in his mind, but Saguru had been keeping an eye on him and Kaito was probably way to busy panicking about the medical examination to think of a prank). Three.

Someone set it off as a distraction.

Opting for the third possibility would be considered an act of paranoia, but it was not to be left out. A prank sounded more likely and less dangerous, but Heiji couldn't shake off the feeling that that wasn't it- and Heiji's guts were usually right when it came to this sort of thing- and that there was more to the alarm than anybody else thought. But that brought up several questions: why did they set the alarm off? To buy time? To gather everyone outside? What would they gain from doing so? What was it they had wanted to do? Because, whatever it was, it was something where five minutes were enough to do what was planned.

…

He felt hungry. Hopefully the last thirty minutes of the lesson would go by quickly so he could eat.

_**xXx**_

The bell rang, and Shinichi stretched in his seat as the teacher and most of the students headed out of the room. Storing a few of his things away under his desk and pulling out a lunchbox, he stood up and waited by the door with a smile for the chattering pair Ran and Sonoko to join him.

Kaito wrestled an arm around Shinichi's neck and made to ruffle his hair. The elder didn't like it, and Kaito knew that, but Shinichi had long given up on telling him to stop. Saguru had a comb he could borrow for when the apocalypse finally came anyway.

"Hello again, Kaito." Shinichi greeted flatly. Kaito simply replied with a grin. But Shinichi offered a politer greeting to Aoko. "Hello Nakamori-chan."

"Hello, Kudo-kun." Aoko smiled, Saguru following right behind. "Kuroba isn't causing you too much trouble, is he?"

"I _lived_ with him. Shouldn't I be asking _you_ that question?"

Aoko simply giggled.

"…do that for?!"

"Ahou, it's ta welcome all tha new students this year!"

"Ahou yourself! Either way, I ain't gonna go."

"Ahou, ya're supposed ta go!"

"I dunno how ta dance! An' stop callin' me ahou, ahou!"

"My, you two seem to get along quite nicely." Saguru smirked.

"Yeah, it sounds _exactly_ like when he's bickering with you." Kaito sniggered. Saguru sent him a glare that meant _everything_.

"Hello everyone." Ran smiled. "Ready for lunch?"

"Ne, Kazuha-chan, what were you and Hattori-kun fighting about?" Sonoko asked. "Was it about that Welcoming School Dance?"

"Yeah, but Hattori says he can't dance and wants ta skip out on it."

"What kind of music will there be? Does anyone know?" Saguru asked.

"Pretty much a bit of everything I guess, just like last year." Aoko replied. "We had classics like waltz and tango and samba and even cha-cha-cha…but there was also the nowadays styles, like pop, rock, metal… So, yeah, I guess it's everything."

"Waltz I can deal with, and maybe tango…" Shinichi pondered. "But samba and cha-cha-cha…?"

"I can help you with that!" Kaito grinned.

"I'd rather not." Shinichi deadpanned, making everyone laugh.

"Seeing as we've been standing here long enough, I suggest we go outside and have our lunch." Saguru said.

"Finally!" Heiji beamed. "I'm starvin'!"

"But to be honest, I'm thinking along the same lines as Hattori…" Shinichi continued as they started walking towards their usual eating spot. "I don't think I'll come."

"Why not?" Ran blinked.

"Um…I just…don't feel like it?"

Sonoko gave him a glare. Had it been a deadly tool, it would have been more of a slow, torturing kind of glare rather than a fast, killing one. _Yeah, well, I can't exactly say I'm scared of touching people- much less holding hands and dancing- can I?_ Shinichi thought, shooting back a deadpan.

"I _will_ make sure you _do_ come, Kudo. Kun." she growled evilly, adding 'kun' after forgetting it.

"Whether I come or not should be up to me." Shinichi replied. "And you can call me Kudo if you want, I don't mind."

"I would, but then I'd end up confusing you with the other Kudo once he gets his ass back from wherever the hell he is." Sonoko remarked.

"It kinda sounds like you already are."

"Kazuki and Sonoko-chan used to have quite a few arguments." Ran explained, smiling. "They don't hate each other, but they don't really like each other either."

"I think he's just a big-headed jerk." Sonoko huffed, before her face split into a grin. "But that doesn't keep _you_ from liking him, eh Ran-chan?"

"S-Sonoko-chan!" Ran scolded, slightly blushing. Sonoko giggled.

"Well, it sounds like we are forced to go." Saguru stated simply. "But still, I doubt the four of us would dance."

"Why is that?" Aoko asked. "I thought at least _you_ looked like the kind of person that would know how to dance, Hakuba-kun."

"That's…nice of you to say, Nakamori-san." Saguru replied, a little embarrassed. "Indeed, I do know how to dance, but…Well, as far as I'm concerned, I've never danced _with_ someone before. I'll admit I'm a little scared."

"That's alright." Ran smiled. "If you know how to dance and don't be too nervous about it you'll be fine."

"Tha rest of ya can do that too!" Kazuha grinned.

"An' now our last hope is ta all find an excuse ta not come so we can escape tha horror." Heiji whispered into Shinichi's ear. Apparently Kazuha had by some miracle hear him, because she was pulling his ear going "What didya say, you ahou?!" Shinichi decided he agreed entirely with Heiji's comment.

_**xXx**_

"Ne, ne, Aniki, do you think I can come over to your place this evening?" Kaito asked as the bell rang and they all slowly trotted out towards the gate. "I wanna see Yukiko-chan and Yuusaku-san again…and then maybe tomorrow you can come and visit Kaa-chan and me?"

"I'm sure Tou-san and Kaa-san would love to see you, Kaito." Shinichi yawned. _Kami_ did he want to go home! "And I'd be happy to see Izumi-okaa…What about you two? Feel like coming?"

"Sorry, I already have plans." Saguru apologized. "I need to check out the library- and no, I can't just come over when I'm done or have you tag along while I do my errands, as it is going to take quite a while. You'll be halfway in bed by the time I'm done."

"So should I call you to know when you're finally home, so I can get my other half in bed too?" Kaito sniggered. Saguru deadpanned.

"I can't either, Araide-han an' I already got invited somewhere else." Heiji replied. "Araide-han thinks it's a good idea ta get used ta havin' conversations with all sorts 'a people. Yanno, socializin' an' whatever so I ain't so tense all the time. Feels like he's tryin' ta drag me inta some therapy thing."

"Well, Araide-sensei _is_ a doctor, you know." Shinichi smirked.

"Yeah well _I_ know that!" the dark-skinned detective grinned back. "Anyway, I'm headin' back ta Araide-han's office so we can go ahead an' go whenever he's ready. See ya tomorrow!"

"See you Hattori!" Kaito smiled, waving back at him as the teen turned around and left.

"Are you sure you can't postpone your book-hunt to another day?" Shinichi asked, looking at the blond detective.

"Sorry Kudo, it's very important to me and I've had this planned since Saturday." Saguru answered.

"Well, let's at least walk there together!" the magician offered brightly. "It's more or less on the way, just a small detour. It's not like Aniki and I can't waste five or ten minutes, right?"

"Oh, because you consider keeping me company as time-waste?"

"Yep, and there's no better way to do so!"

Shinichi and Saguru shared a chuckle as they walked towards the library. They began discussing time-tables for the next day when the fire-alarm incident somehow became the new topic.

"I don't think someone wanted to pull a prank on the entire school." Shinichi said. The two other nodded in agreement.

"But who would do it and why?" Kaito asked.

"From what I gathered," Saguru explained "as far as the second year students are concerned, we were the ones who had the most abnormal amount reported absent…coincidentally, said absent students happen to be split in our three classes only."

"Hakuba, you and I are in the same class." Kaito deadpanned.

"Don't act like a fool, you know I'm including Hattori's in this."

"And where did you hear that?"

"I happened to overhear Eita-sensei and another teacher talking about it while I was at the infirmary this morning. Eita-sensei made me lay on the bed due to slight fever after I told her I had a headache. Remember, Kuroba?"

"Yeah, I remember you leaving this morning. Tahoma-kun escorted you there and came back a few minutes later. You guys escaped chaos by a hair."

"So I heard."

"What about first and third years, then?" Shinichi asked, interrupting morning reminiscence and coming back towards the previous topic.

"The third years had only one absent student, but he's been sick all week-end and still isn't back yet, and first years had three- two had an accident Sunday afternoon and the last was a witness to a murder yesterday morning on the way to school that the police took in for questioning. I haven't figured anything out about the second years yet."

"Let's see…" Kaito muttered, starting to think. "In our class, we had Terada Ichiro and Suiyami Felix…"

"I don't remember if Terada-kun was with us when the alarm went off, but he was waiting for us in front of the infirmary when we got back." Saguru continued. "As for Suiyami-san, he'd been missing since lunchtime."

"But why would Suiyami-san set the alarm off?" Kaito interrupted. "He's the HDC and can pretty much do whatever he wants- even the teachers are scared of him! Can you think of something where he'd need to get everyone outside so he can do whatever he wanted to do without being seen? Besides, we were out there for no more than five minutes. Whatever it was he did, he did it in less than three- maybe even two. You saw him hand the paper to Eita-sensei, right? And I'm pretty sure it _was_ a request from Araide-sensei himself, because I don't feel like believing in lucky coincidence and oh joy Suiyami-san just decided to randomly put both our names on there. Not only that, but Suiyami-san also intercepted Terada-kun and sent him to wait in his office."

"That's pretty strong defending, there." Shinichi remarked with a slight smile.

"I just don't think it's him. If he wants to do something, he has a variety of more straightforward ways to choose from than setting an alarm off and emptying the entire school building."

"Alright, we'll just keep him in mind. I don't want to rule him out until we've proven he isn't it." Shinichi replied. "Let's see, in my class there was…Marui Shizuka…and another one I can't seem to remember who exactly it was…wait, was he even absent?"

"Who are you talking about?" Saguru asked.

"I don't know all the faces yet…I remember most of them, but this guy just keeps slipping from my mind…he's a really quiet person, so almost everyone regularly forgets he's even here…"

"Could it be Sutekon-kun you mean?" Kaito helped.

"Sutekon-kun? You mean that half-French guy, right? Come to think of it, that's probably the one…"

"Am I the only one to think Sutekon-kun might be hiding something?" Saguru asked. Kaito shook his head.

"No, I wondered about that too. But I gave up on the idea- I very seriously doubt he's from the Dark Ring, and even if he does have something to hide we don't need to know. After all, we also have something to hide, don't we?" Kaito noted casually, while Saguru flinched at the mention of their identities. "Why should we rip secrets out of others when we don't feel like giving away our own?"

"We'll need to ask Hattori about the possible suspects in his class." Shinichi added. "And verify the teachers alibis."

There was an awkward silence after that last statement.

"We're here." Shinichi stated finally, pointing at the library in front of which they had arrived. They stopped to say their good-byes before Saguru walked in and the two others headed for the Kudo household.

"Ah, Aniki-" Kaito suddenly blurted out after a short while of walking in silence. "Is it alright for me to just show up like that without letting Yuusaku-san and Yukiko-chan know ahead of time?"

Shinichi stopped and blinked at Kaito.

"Kaito…Since when are you the type of person to care about that?"

Kaito stared back.

"You're right, forget I asked."

They both began to laugh and continued their path in silence until they arrived. There were only so many things that they could freely talk about when nobody else was around… But, then again, between them, words didn't need to be said. They both already knew what the other was thinking.

And somehow, it felt that that was how it should be.

Shinichi opened the gate and the door beyond the small path in between. Kaito closed the door behind them.

"I'm home!" Shinichi called out, the two boys taking their shoes off. Yukiko then popped her head into the hall and came to them as her face split into a wide grin.

"I brought Kaito with-" Shinichi started, before being interrupted by Yukiko giving him a squishing hug. His entire body tensed and a few shivers ran up and down his spine, and relaxed a little when she let him go.

"--me." he finished, giving her a slight deadpan glare. Yukiko giggled. "If you don't mind-" Shinichi started again, and stopping again when she proceeded to give the same hug to Kaito. Looking at Kaito's face, Shinichi wondered if he also looked like he wished for nothing more than to run far away and never come back when she hugged him. After consideration, he figured he probably didn't. Or at least not as much.

"You were saying, dear?" Yukiko smiled, turning to Shinichi.

"…I _was_ going to ask you to please spare Kaito, but I guess that's a little too late." The high-school detective replied, still watching as Kaito struggled to slowly unfreeze his body from the shockingly sudden physical assault. Yukiko gave a slight huff as she rested her hands on her hips.

"Boys, you _need_ the contact, it's the fastest way to get you used to your surroundings and the people that are part of it." Yukiko explained. Shinichi knew what she was saying was serious, but somehow she just really didn't look like it. And he had to wonder if it was really the best way to get used to contact quickly.

"Anyway, Kaa-san, do you mind if Kaito stays over tonight? He just needs to call…"

"Oh, don't worry about that! Your friends are always welcome to come by and stay! Kai-chan, if you want to call the phone is right there."

"Um…Thanks."

"Kaito, give me your bag, I'll drop them off in my room." Shinichi said, holding out his hand to receive Kaito's bag. The magician handed it to him before taking the phone while Shinichi hoisted both bags over his shoulder. The teen detective was about to head to his room when he felt…something. Kaito had also stopped right before dialling the number. Shinichi felt his body automatically prepare to defend as he glared at the wall opposite of him.

"…Kaa-san, is there someone here, aside from Tou-san and you?"

"Why, yes, there is! How did you know that?"

Shinichi could feel it. That strange feeling that only those of the Dark Ring could feel…like a presence, like a scent that only the members of the Dark Ring had…One of them was here.

He could hear Yuusaku talking. He was in the small library-like office, having a conversation with that person no doubt. That was strange, hearing the usually, relatively quiet Yuusaku hold a long monologue while the other did nothing but listen.

Shinichi turned to look at Kaito, who nodded and went back to phoning Izumi. Shinichi started going towards the stairs, passing at the same time, slowly, the room where Yuusaku and the Dark Ring member were, to see who their "guest" was. It wasn't easy to tell from behind. He planned on continuing to his room, quietly, and take another peek on the way back, but Yuusaku noticed him and smiled.

"Ah! Welcome back home, son. Please meet my old friend, Niiroki Akio."

Said old friend turned around on his chair with a smile to get a look at Shinichi. Shinichi felt his heart stop.

_Redwood_.

* * *

**Yeah, I know, it was easy to tell it was him XD But who cares? By the way, I'm still waiting for people to tell me about the ShinKai/JayRay/RayMag thing. Poll is still on my profile, either you speak up or I'll consider final vote as ShinRay and KaiMag. Also, this chapter was slightly longer. But only a little. But what scares me most is whether I'll get the next chapter finished before the deadline...Writer's block is as strong as ever and I've been a little busier lately, so even without writer's block things would be much slower...I pray to Kami and my personal self-made Layton plushie that I succeed in finishing my next writing in time. Thank you for reading everyone and see you in the next update!**

* * *

**FHP2208**: Thing is, "Birds Of A Feather" isn't my first work. It's just the first to be this appreciated XD And I'll also have to admit that I quite understand- no two or three years ago I made the most horrible fic where Kaito was stuck with a shrunken Mary-Sue OC, so yeah XD Thank Kami I've learned since. That's what I get for reading tons and tons of fanfiction, anyway XD You don't _have_ to be here for the update, the point of reading is that you can do so whenever you want. This is _not_ TV, so don't worry XD I'm trying to give everyone a shot, since this fic seems to mainly revolve around Shinichi's point of view…Currently I have the various point of views on a list and counted up to nine…an I might add a couple so the OCs also get a chance or two…we'll see. Thanks for always reviewing, good or not ;)

**Marie Ravenclaw**: Hehe…I'll have Shinichi show them, someday, that he couldn't possibly be Kazuki…and wipe Ran's suspicions until the end of the fic XD Then again, she'll already know what she needs to know a little earlier than the end. _Fun shall it be_ XD I haven't seen Digimon in quite a while…Maybe I'll get to it once I finish Inuyasha, Full Metal Panic and started Higurashi. Plan on drawing a list of possible suspects the boys haven't considered?

**Mangaluva**: I keep finding a way to make a fun chapter after an angsty one. And I have no idea how. I really liked the idea of Magpie because of it's colors (black and white here), stealing glittery stuff that reminded me of KID, and in french we have a saying "Bavard comme une pie", which pretty much translates literally as "Talkative as a Magpie". Somehow, I have the mental image of Kaito bouncing around Shinichi when hearing that. And what would this fic be without Ai? Since I'm doing a remake, of course I need to pop her in _somewhere_ XD

**Animegirl1987**: School is sadly not the issue here…It's my brain itself. And soon, work will be added to that as well, and all the other things I want to do, and week-ends are worse because I have to share the computers with my brother and sister and am busy dealing with visitors anyway As for pairings…I said they'll be mostly canon, but I've got a wonderfully, evilly complicated turn of things up my sleeve for them all…Waiting for your Fanart =3

**Miruial**: I know what you mean. I also realised it at some point, then thought for a while and found a way through that by using their personalities and psychology to explain why _they_ got "used" to their surrondings faster than Ai will. I can re-write a couple details in the previous chapters (such as changing names, like I just did before updating this one), but I'm too lazy to remake the entire fic. You probably understand that XD Rather than trying to get a full dissertation done in this reply I'll try to somehow fit it into the fic itself, very much like I did with the rest of the other characters' thoughts...Maybe I'll shove it onto Sa-chan *gives Saguru a quick look then smiles at the poor, awfully abused-of boy*


	18. Ch17: Niiroki Akio

**Whoot! 14th of February! **

_**Love and warmth is in the air, **_

_**Red pink and white everywhere, **_

_**Passion makes your dreams come true, **_

_**Double-update here for you~**_

**...No, not a double-date. Sorry to disappoint you.**

**Speaking of dating, today will be very exactly six months since I've started dating Haruto (--real name censored for privacy purposes-- XD), which is actually part of the reason why I wanted to share my happy-happy-happiness with you by bringing two chappies in one go (so yeah, go and thank him, I have nothing to do with it). **

**Oh, by the way- After two months of fighting with the name-changing poll concerning Jay and Raven and only five votes, I have come to the decision that yes, the names shall be changed, nevermind the vote. Or Kaito's at least, I left Shinichi as Jay and turned Kaito into Magpie. If you need an explanation to why, I'll have you check out the following links:**

_Shinichi as Bluejay__ - http:/ /www. whats-your-sign. com/ blue-jay-animal-symbolism. html_

_Kaito as Magpie__ - http:// www. whats-your-sign. com/ magpie-symbolic-meanings. html_

**It was just a coincidence, I found these only a couple days before posting. But they're what made me decide XD I originally asked about changing or not because I wantd to know if you would be confused if the names suddenly changed (which you probably are anyway, but you'll have to deal with it now) or if you didn't mind, or had other birds ideas that could fit. Either way, that's now that and I won't change them anymore. Promise XD What- Oh, Heiji and Saguru? They're perfectly fine as they are XD**

* * *

_Chapter 17: Niiroki Akio_

Shinichi stared as Redwood got off his chair and approached him. That long dark hair, those colorful brownish-red eyes, and a fatherly smile on his face at the sight of the kokosei-tantei. It had only been a month, so why did he feel like they hadn't met in forever? Shinichi immediately forced back the tears that were slowly welling up inside him and smiled, trying to look like a normal happy-to-see-you person. He opened his mouth to say something, but Redwood quickly interrupted him before he could:

"It's good to see you again, Kazuki-kun." he said with a smile. Shinichi stared. He wasn't sure how to react to that. "You've grown since the last time we saw each other. I think you were eight years old back then…do you remember me?"

"I…um…I'm not Kazuki." Shinichi muttered uncertainly. Redwood blinked.

"Sorry, Akio-kun." Yuusaku chuckled. "But you've got the wrong one."

"Really? But he looks exactly like the little Kazuki I met at Toichi-kun's burial, just bigger and a little older!"

Yuusaku stood up next and walked over next to where Shinichi was standing. The blue-eyed detective felt his body tense as the novelist put and arm behind his back and a hand on his shoulder.

"Akio-kun, please meet Kazuki's elder twin brother: Shinichi."

"Shinichi? Typical, Yuusaku-kun, I wouldn't have expected anything else." Redwood grinned before holding out a hand to Shinichi. "Nice to meet you, Shinichi-kun."

"N-Nice to meet you too." Shinichi held his own hand out so they could shake hands.

There was something…soothing, about Redwood's hand. A feeling of familiarity, and of safety. The same kind he felt when he was with Kaito, Heiji and Saguru. The kind that, when he was alone, didn't exist and made him feel vulnerable, insecure, weak. The kind that, when with the others, made him feel able to cope with the outside, the strangers, the world. More than that, he had missed Redwood's presence. It felt like something was gone and he hadn't noticed it until he touched his hand and they exchanged a smile that only the two of them could understand.

He felt whole again.

"Aniki!" Kaito called out. Shinichi turned to watch him arrive. "I told Kaa-chan I was staying here tonight and that you'd come over tomorrow too."

"Good."

"Yuusaku-kun…you have triplets and never told me?" Redwood asked in a very serious tone.

"No, that's Kaito-kun." Yuusaku smiled. "Kuroba Kaito, Shinichi's and Kazuki's cousin."

"Kuroba? You mean like Kuroba Toichi?"

"Nope, just a coincidence!" Kaito grinned, proceeding to pop a dove out of nowhere. Redwood blinked, then laughed.

"Good one, my boy. My name is Niiroki Akio, nice to meet you. I'm sure Toichi would be proud of you if he were still alive."

"Akio-kun...Toichi-kun is my cousin. Kaito is the son of my half-brother."

Redwood stared at Yuusaku for a while before his face split into a wide grin.

"I should have known!" Shinichi had to admit, he and Kaito had no idea what on earth Redwood was talking about.

"You're in high spirits today, aren't you?" Yukiko asked with a smile as she walked in as well. She then looked at the two teens "Akio-kun is usually a bit quieter, like Yuu-chan, so I'll admit I'm surprised at how bubbly he is right now."

"That's because I haven't been here in a while." Redwood replied, as "bubbly" as Yukiko had described him to be. "And to be honest I didn't expect to meet two nice-looking young lads tonight!" Shinichi and Kaito looked at each other and blinked. "That way we can talk, and you guys tell me stuff about you."

"Umm...okay." Kaito said hesitantly. He grabbed Shinichi by the wrist and led them upstairs to Shinichi's room where the two had lived for about a month. Shinichi dropped their bags in a corner of the room while Kaito dropped himself on the bed instead. Shinichi sighed as he went and sat on the chair by his computer desk instead. There was a small, slightly awkward silence for a moment.

"Nii-chan." Kaito called quietly. Shinichi straightened at the silent call and watched as Kaito stared down at his hands, waiting patiently for the boy to voice his thoughts.

Kaito finally looked up at him.

"How long do you think he can stay?"

Shinichi shook his head. "I don't know. Hell, I'm not even sure how he managed to get here..."

"...He didn't look like he recognised us."

Shinichi snorted. "Yeah, well, we should have expected as much. We changed names and faces, we're not _supposed_ to know who he is, the same way he isn't supposed to. Besides, for all we know, he could be followed, watched, monitored, bugged- you know what the Dark Ring is like. There's nothing we can do about it."

Kaito remained silent at that last comment. Shinichi watched him a little longer before getting up and sitting next to Kaito instead. He put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer.

"Listen, Pie..." Shinichi whispered, pausing for a second. It felt strange to use their real names again, to call his little brother "Pie" the same way Kaito used to call him "Nii-chan" when they were alone, even if only able to call each other by those names for a little while, but it felt good at the same time. "Redwood helped us escape knowing we'd be in good hands. Yuusaku-san and Yukiko-chan, Izumi-san, Araide-sensei, Agasa-hakase...We're surrounded by great people that he knew he could trust to take care of us, and they're doing their job as good as they can...So let's just show him that he didn't help us leave for nothing, whether he knows it's us or not."

Kaito gave a very slight nod and a tiny smile before getting off the bed as Shinichi had done so before him and was holding out a hand to help him up.

Shinichi knew how much Redwood meant to Kaito. After their real father had died, Redwood had been the first and only person to come up to the mourning lot and support them with everything he had. Shinichi only remembered too well how much Kaito had hated Redwood at first, thinking he wanted to take their father's place. Kaito had eventually grown much closer to him over time, so close that sometimes Shinichi got the feeling that Kaito was the one who had trusted Redwood first. But Shinichi wouldn't forget. He refused to forget for even a second that it was Redwood that had come and saved Kaito and their mother from darker feelings, darker personalities, possibly, unknowingly, stopped their mother from suicide and making things even worse on the boys. And then...Redwood had opened the cage and set them free.

They really owed him their lives.

Not letting go as they walked out of the room, and still holding each other's hands until they reached the bottom of the stairs, they walked into the bureau once again, ready to face Redwood with everything they now were.

Their identites as Bluejay and Magpie were slowly fading more and more every day, while Kudo Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito were drawn out to become their true selves.

_**xXx**_

Three hours had passed, and the atmosphere in the Kudo household was great. At first Yuusaku and Yukiko had done the most talking with Redwood with Shinichi and Kaito mainly just listening, then the two boys had slowly joined in as well, and now it was just Redwood and the boys laughing while Yuusaku and Yukiko had decided to leave the three alone together.

It really felt nice to be able to laugh with Redwood again, Kaito thought as he held his arms tightly against his ribs from the pain- and soon the lack of air at this rate.

"And so, after that," Redwood continued, trying to make his words understandable "we all wasted twenty minutes watching out of the window as the janitor and a couple of policemen ran after the chickens."

"Oh man," Kaito said a couple minutes later as the laughing finally died out. "Your school was_ insane_."

"If Hakuba were here, he'd say 'Your time has been run by a bunch of Kuroba clones, no wonder the world is drowning in havoc'!" Shinichi commented, and Kaito started giggling again.

"Aki-chan!" Yukiko called from the kitchen. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"I wish I could..." he muttered as he got up and went to see her. The two boys automatically followed. "As much as I'd love to Yukiko-chan, I can't stay. I've already been here all day long, and if I don't go back soon my boss will be very uspet."

"Oh, that's such a shame...I'm sure the boys were really looking forward to you staying longer."

"I know, I know..." Redwood sighed, before noticing the sad look on the teens' faces and turning to them with a smile. "But don't worry! I'm not under house-arrest, so there's nothing wrong with me coming back to visit again sometime." His smile widened as they brightened up a little.

"When's the next time you're coming back?" Kaito asked. "That way I can plan my next visit here as well."

"What, you mean from now on you're only coming to see Niiroki-san?" Shinichi huffed sarcastically in a wonderful imitation of how Kaito would react had he been the one to say it. Kaito gasped dramatically as he stared wide-eyed at Shinichi.

"How _dare_ you even _think_ that?!" he replied, suddenly clinging to the detective's body. "I'd never let _anyone_ be up higher than my favorite cousin on my love-list!"

"...Was that a love declaration?" Shinichi deadpanned.

"You bet!~" Kaito chirped happily. Shinichi groaned, Redwood and Yukiko chuckled.

"Where's Yuusaku-kun by the way?" Redwood asked, looking at Yukiko again. "I want to say goodbye, and I still need to give him something."

"Eh? You do?" Yukiko blinked. "Well, he left ten minutes minutes ago to go see Agasa-hakase for something apparently important- he's our neighbor, if you want to-"

"Oh, no, if it's something important I won't bother him. I planned on giving him this envelope- there's information about a few internationally researched computer hackers in there for his friend in Interpol, he'll probably know what to do with it."

"Oh, alright." Yukiko grinned, taking the envelope and handing it to Shinichi. "Could you put that on Yuu-chan's desk in the bureau please?" Shinichi nodded and left.

"Anyway~ it's about time I go now." Redwood smiled. His smile turned into a grin as he proceeded to ruffle Kaito's hair. "See you next time mini-magician! Keep practicing those tricks while I'm gone!"

Kaito grinned back and followed him to the bureau out of which Shinichi had just walked out.

"See you next time kid," Redwood said as he ruffled Shinichi's hair as well. Instead of grinning back Shinichi just sent him a deadpan glare and tried to flatten his hair back. "How about you try and get those other two to come with you next time, eh? What were their names? Hattori and Hakuba, right?"

"I know Hakuba won't, he values his hair and wouldn't want you to mess it up."

"Meh, no fun." Redwood scowled slightly, before leaving the manor with a last goodbye. The two boys watched as Redwood walked down the small path between the door and the gate, and disappear behind the low wall. They slowly closed the door behind them as they went back in.

"So, Shin-chan, Kai-chan, what would you like to eat?" Yukiko asked, smiling at them once they arrived in the kitchen to help with cooking. Maybe. Sure, why not.

"Kaito will eat pretty much anything except fish." Shinichi replied, rummaging through shelves for a knife.

"I _can_ eat cooked fish you know." Kaito pouted, catching the second knife Shinichi threw at him. "I just can stand the sight of live ones- or even dead, actually. I'll take 'em on with maki and sushi though."

"Well how about we have some of those then?" Yukiko offered, and they decided to agree.

While Shinichi wasn't the worst (or best) of cooks, Kaito's skills were pretty amazing. He had quickly come to learn to help Izumi with cooking, and Izumi had quickly come to learn that Kaito refused only when there was fresh fish on the cutting board. Yukiko was impressed they had all finished a lot faster than usual and thanked Kaito before teling him he could leave. When Kaito asked why and said he was willing to help some more, she simply smiled and replied 'fish'. At that point, Kaito decided that that was a perfectly acceptable reason after all.

Kaito sighed and stopped in front of the bureau. Or library. Nobody could tell what on earth that room was, so they decided on calling it the bureau, since that seemed to be where Yuusaku spent most of his time thinking, working, and whatever else. Kaito watched as Yuusaku sat on his chair and slowly opened the envelope in his hands.

"I didn't know you were back, Yuusaku-san." Kaito remarked. The novel-writer rasied his head.

"Well, I only just returned, and I didn't want to bother the rest of you while you all working so hard on tonight's meal." he smiled. Kaito smiled back. Yuusaku took a short glace at the letter contained in the envelope and put it back in.

"Aren't you going to read it?" Kaito asked. "Or is it confidential?"

Yuusaku smirked. "While I do have a friend in Interpol, internationally wanted computer hackers are not on his job list."

Kaito blinked and stared as Yuusaku got up from his chair and put the envelope in the magician's hands. Kaito felt his entire body tense as Yuusaku gave his a slight tap on the shoulder.

"Why don't you bring it upstairs to your bedroom?"

Kaito didn't think any much longer. He quickly raced to the kitchen, gave Shinichi a poke, mouthed 'follow me' and raced again, this time to the bedroom as Yuusaku had suggested. By the time Shinichi finally arrived, Kaito had already torn the envelope off of the letter and complained about how he would have had enough time to read it five times by now.

"Why didn't you do so then?" Shinichi asked. Kaito immediately shushed him and motioned for him to sit. Shinichi sighed and obeyed, and Kaito unfolded the white paper, words imprinted on it with dark ink.

_JM,_

_I'm sorry for not having been able to ask you openly about everything I would have wanted to know. There's so much I want to say. While I wrote this letter before seeing you, I have to say that I am surprised to see how much the outside world has changed you. There's still a long way before you integrate your new identities fully, but you're doing wonderfully and I am as proud as a man can be for the two of you. Never have I been happier to see your faces, and to know you're doing alright. I'm glad to know we made the right decision in helping you escape. Then again, freedom suits any bird better than a cage, doesn't it? I'll come again as soon as I can._

"Sneaky bastard, giving such a dangerous letter to Yuusaku." Shinichi muttered with a smile. "Who knows who else got that letter in their hands?"

"Maple." Kaito replied, pointing at the second handwriting under Redwood's. Apparently Maple had gotten a hand on the letter indeed.

_Dear boys, I'm happy to know you're both alright. While I'm still waiting for Redwood to tell me everything about you, I want you to know that I am extremely proud of you for doing so well out there and that Redwood and I miss you both a lot. But we don't regret it, not a single bit. I hope you keep on smiling everyday, if only for the sake of letting us smile too for knowing you're leading a better life. Please give my regards to Sparrow and Hawk as well._

"I'd write a letter back, but I don't think the Dark Ring has a mailbox." Kaito snickered, unable to tear his eyes away from the paper. He missed them so much...It almost made him want to go back just for the sake of being there with them. But then again, their words made him want to enjoy his life all the more.

"Nii-chan, let's pratice dancing after dinner."

Shinichi blinked at him. "Eh?"

Kaito smiled back. "I'm going to that school dance thing. I'll deal with it. I've got my Poker Face. I can pass it off as being extremely nervous. And-" Kaito paused, a thought suddenly reaching his mind. "...Ne, come to think of it, do we even _have_ to dance? What if we're just going for the sake of at least _being_ there?"

Shinichi pondered on the thought for a second. "I still think it would be best to just try and find any plausible excuse to stay as far away from it as possible in case they force us, but...well, I'm definitely not going to let you go there alone. Our first month has already passed a week ago, the drugs could wear off at any second."

Kaito nodded. Oh yes, he hadn't forgotten his wings...those wings patiently waiting to spread any moment...

_**xXx**_

Akako dismissed her servant as she walked into the room, closing the creaking wooden door behind her and everything turning black. It only took a few seconds for fire to flare as the torches lit up, forming a circle. Six torches hanging at equal distance on the walls of the circular room, six candles slowly flickering on, one after the other, in a smaller circle around a once again circular table with a white cloth and a summoning circle drawn on it.

Akako stood, not too far and not too close, and stared at the circle for a moment. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began to chant a few words while her hands formed a triangle. She then put her hands, in the center of the circle, still in triangle shape and perfectly aligned with the markings inside of the circle, and quietly called out.

"Lucifer."

There was a swirl of wind in the room as it slowly gathered to the center of the circle before vanishing. And where the wind had disappeared, something else reappeared. Akako took a couple steps back andstared at the figure floating over the table.

"_Who dares call me?_"

"I do." Akako replied, her voice clear for him to hear her words. "Lucifer, there are things I want to ask you."

"_You again?_" Lucifer said, before sighing. "_You call me far too often, I shall have you know. You are the only person I have seen in years, and the only one to seek audience every ten days_."

"And I'll have you know that you hardly act all-powerful." Akako retorted, making Lucifer slightly recoil. "Lucifer...it's about _that_ person."

Lucifer frowned a little. "_I have already told you_..._His knowledge of the world defies magic in all ways. He can know what I know not, He can see what can't be seen. He plays with Destiny like He is above everything_. _His mind is not easily penetrated_."

"No, I know you have already answered my question about his knowledge. This time I want to ask you if he has a relationship to magic at all."

Lucifer paused for a long time. Akako waited.

"_It is still too early for the keys to the Heart to be revealed_." Lucifer said finally. "_All I can say is that He already knows, and He is preparing the stage for when the time comes. He shall be the one to tell you in due time_."

Unwilling to give Akako the chance to ask any more, Lucifer vanished once again, and left the witch alone in silence amongst the light of torches and melting candles.

_The Heart? _Akako wondered. _The Heart of whom? Or of what?_

_**xXx**_

He sat on his chair, absently staring at the small, circular board placed in front of him. It was made of wood and had a smooth surface, emphasizing the fine carvings in the board. Though it looked mostly like the David's star, there were several added markings that made it look more like a circle of witchcraft. The first centered circle traced and connected together the six tips of the star, or the two triangles depending on how you looked at it. The second centered circle was larger and followed perfectly the outline of the first circle. Those first two circular lines were linked by six small crosses, shaped like a bunch of four-leaf clovers, one over each star tip. The third centered circle was smaller than the two bigger ones, and just big enough for him to place something the size of an egg as the outlines traced around it, six thin streaks forming another star going out towards the summets of the hexagon.

He pulled out a dozen of black and white pawns and a gem that glowed red. A garnet, to be exact. He placed the garnet in the center of the emblem carved into the board, then proceeded to place the white pawns in each triangle of the star outside of the hexagon. The pawns each had a different colored head. The one with the white head was placed in the top-most triangle. Then, clockwise, he placed red, green, black, blue and yellow. He pulled out the black pawns next, also with different-colored heads, and placed them on each cross drawn between the first and second centered circles. Red next to red, green next to green, blue next to blue and yellow next to yellow.

"Black and white..." he muttered quietly to himself, holding the last to pawns in his hands. "Black has yet to appear, and White has yet to discover her true identity. The dark pawns must first find themselves before they can enter the magic circle and become the awakened keys to the Heart." A slight smirk drew itself on his face as he cocked his head to the side and watched his fingers fiddle with the two pawns. "For the world is after what only the Heart can give, and try hard to take that power for themselves...How cruelly selfish, as the Heart only gives to those the Heart deems worthy of such a gift..."

His smirk didn't fade as he took the garnet off of the carved board and held it to the light above his head, soft red rays shining onto his face. "But before that, let's wait until the Heart awakens as well, and opens up to it's Guardians..."

* * *

**Huhuhu...I am evil and love playing with your minds~ **

**Oh, and that thing Mystery Man is playing with? That's not a chessboard. He's just using colorful pawns. Thank Chu-chan for the heads-up XD**

* * *

**Marie Ravenclaw: **Yeah, well, this one's gonna be more of a "guess who" than "I've figured it out!" kinda mystery. Either I'll leave hints or I won't. Still deciding XD I've only went to one school dance in middle-school, it wasn't bad but my friends weren't around and there wasn't much to do except stare at the stage where some people put random songs and act like it was a concert of some sort (just not nearly as cool). I think I'll just wait for an actual dance...Like my wedding in five years time or so~ XD Dances aren't evil, just not always fun depending on who you're with and what you do.

**Miruial: **Good gracious, I first read "the mystery thickens" as "the mystery chickens"...I wanted to ask where the chickens came from, but I guess we can cross that question out now XD I really like Saguru and tend to write him a little differently than in canon by giving him certain facets that he would probably never show in the actual series.

**Animegirl1987:** I usually talk to Mangaluva or Tsugumi Winters, but Mangaluva reads the fic and I don't want to give her major spoilers without her permission and Tsugumi...maybe. But she reads it too, so... Yeah, sorry for not doing faster updates XD And I've got like another dozen fic ideas ready to get started on, but I'm forcing myself to FIRST get on with Birds a bit more before even CONSIDERING typing even a single more word in any of those fics (because I already did, three months ago or so). So...yeah.

**xxBakaAkki:** I know Phantom-Akiko volunteered to help, but I haven't had any new of her since December 17th so I'm still waiting...and trying to think up ideas for the design in the meantime. I have a couple, but I need to get the material such as pics for Photoshop so I can even _do_ the stuff. For the one I have to draw up my own images of the DC characters, and for the second one...I think I can get it done somehow.

**Mangaluva:** You wanna know more about my OCs? You either wait for a fews months until they show up a little more, or I can start writing dissertations on each that would look like the psychology profiles you made for the some of the DC cast in "Psychology Revision". By the way, I'm waiting to see if you'll write any other characters XD

**A Smiling Cat**: Just make sure you get used to your new pen-name, I remember I changed mine twice and was confused when the reply to my review wasn't adressed to the previous name...XD I think it's funny how your review sounded like some kind of summary for the chapter...not that I mind XD

**Aiti Teal**: You know what? You just reminded me that although I've been thinking about it a lot, I've never actually written anything about it. And they've been at school for two weeks now. Guess what I'll be writing about next XD *wink*


	19. Ch18: Melodious Bonds

**Right, let me go ahead and say this now. If you used the jump arrow from the fic-page to acces the last chapter like I tend to do, you'll have to go one step back. That's right- DOUBLE-UPDAAAAATE!! *cheers***

**For those who already read the previous chapter...meh, just move along.**

* * *

_Chapter 18: Melodious Bonds_

After a full week of secret practicing at the Kudo household every evening after coming back from school- _without_ letting the girls know or they would want to come as well, thank you very much- the boys were more or less ready. They still all felt horribly tense everytime they came in contact with someone, but it was bearable. And enough for their "dancing partners" to hopefully not notice too much when that dreadful moment came to be. And as long as they stuck close together, too. It felt like they were profiting of this strange thing they had when they were all close, like an "aura of comfort" that only worked in a certain range. It was something they never noticed and didn't know where it came from, but it was there and _thank Kami it was_.

While the boys had practiced among themselves the first night with Yuusaku coaching politely behind them- Shinichi with Saguru and Heiji with Kaito-, the following evenings they each took turns dancing in turn with Yuusaku and Yukiko (and _man_ was dancing with Yukiko more than just a small exercise, the only one able to keep with her pace had been Kaito). Tuesday night Izumi had come by to help (but she had mostly ended up talking to Shinichi instead, so she came by again Wednesday as well), and Araide stopped for a visit to help a little (he turned out to be a pretty good dancer) and mostly to check up on their individual healths before letting them head out. Araide had also mentioned that he would be present at the welcoming ceremony as well in case anything happened since he was one of the two school doctors anyway, which made them feel considerably better as far as "uncalled-for incidents" were concerned.

The result? Dancing skills: perfect. Contact apprehension: minimum requirement. Global score: average, but enough to pass.

...Well, here they were.

While Shinichi had gone with Kaito, the two others had agreed to arrive at separate times so they didn't look like they had come from the same place. Not that it would have been a big bother, but they were too lazy to come up with an excuse, no matter how plain. Still, they had all agreed to meet up outside, as they had promised the girls as well. Sonoko especially had insisted ("So she can make sure we're all here..." Shinichi had muttered to a nodding Heiji.) Shinichi already knew what the boys were wearing- they had all come up with their suits for the last pratice session, even if it wasn't necessary. Saguru had arrived with a reddish-brown suit. Heiji came with a dark, green vest and hands in the pockets of his black pants. Shinichi had planned on coming with something deep blue, but Kaito had somehow managed to force him into wearing a black tuxedo. Why? So that Kaito could wear a white one. At first Shinichi didn't understand the logic in that. Then he remembered that it was Kaito and that there was no reason to think about it any further. Then it hit him that they looked like opposites. But he still didn't understand why Kaito wanted that.

Before calling out for the gang, and before arriving completely, Shinichi took the time to stare at the girls in awe. Never in his life had he imagined a dress could look so good on them- Ran looked amazingly beautiful in bright red and her sweet smile as she was giggling with Aoko, who was dressed in azure blue. She looked a little more childish than Ran, but cute nonetheless (and Saguru was already having a hard time getting his eyes off her). Kazuha, her hair help up by a bow-tie, seemed to pair up perfectly with Heiji due to her deep, emerald green-like dress. Sonoko, with a thin, pink veil surronding her arms and sliding down nicely along her indigo dress, also looked rather good despite the apparently heated conversation she was having with someone on the other end of her phonecall. Right a that moment she hung up, and suddenly everyone seemed to have magically noticed the two arriving boys at the same time.

"Ah, looks like everyone's here now!" Sonoko smiled, then gave Shinichi a teasing nudge. "And it's good to see you didn't chicken out after all, Kudo-kun." Shinichi simply replied with a deadpan look.

"Well, now that we've all arrived safely, why don't we go inside?" Saguru suggested. "It _is_ starting to get slightly chilly, and we don't want a pack of ice statues forming in mid-April." Chuckling a little, they all agreed and walked into the school's gymnasium...

...Which had been turned into an amazing music hall.

While there was only faint background music- the event still had yet to begin- there was a big set of lights hanging all over the place ready to be turned on and off depending on the music style and the atmosphere. At the very back of the gym in a corner was a very long table with cakes and drinks (Shinichi assumed the collected money would be used for something else that was school-related), and at the very front by the stage-like area was a large station, complete wih giant speakers and a couple of disk-jockeys in charge of the musical mish-mash. Along the walls were as many chairs as they could fit in, in case someone wanted- or needed- to sit down for a moment...or for the entire evening (who knew, after all). The boys had to stop so they could stare at the place in awe.

"What, never seen anything like it?" Sonoko asked jokingly. They all replied with a united "No."

"Ran-chan! Sonoko-chan!"

"Oh, Hatsuki-kun!" Ran smiled as they finally spotted the source of the voice walking towards them. "You look quite handsome tonight."

"Thank you, Ran-chan, you look beautiful yourself." he smiled. "And so do the rest of you." he added to the other girls.

"Ladies man~" Sonoko teased, making Hatsuki blush slightly and the girls giggle.

While the boys started chuckling as well, Hatsuki gave a quick cough. "The others are over there, so why don't we join them?"

And that was just what they did. And their number suddenly went from eight to nine to thirteen to a complete conversational mess.

"Keiko-chan, you're hardly recognisable! How did you manage to straighten our hair like that?"

"I had my mom help me."

"Are you feeling alright, Toma-kun?"

"Y-Yes, thank you Kuroba."

"Rouya, stop givin' TJ a hard time!"

"Arina-chan, I really _don't_ want to have to go through this tonight, listen to Hatto-"

"Ne, Arina-chan, where's ya sister? Stayin' home sick?"

"Oh, no, Kori's fine Kazuha-chan. She's just over there."

"She's talking to Suiyami-san?"

"Well Hakuba-kun, I obviously can't keep her from being friends with him." The others slowly stopped talking so they could listen.

"Is there something wrong with Suiyami-sama?" Sonoko asked.

"I can't say he's a wrong-doer." Arina sighed. "He's done great things for the school, he really looks out for people that are constantly being picked on like TJ, he helps whoever needs him despite the fact that he scares the crap out of the teachers and school staff...but there's just something that doesn't fit."

"Is it because he's popular?" Ran wondered.

"No, not that. I mean Kudo-kun- Sorry, not you, your brother- was also extremely popular last year, I didn't hate him anymore than I hate TJ."

"So you love him?" Aoko shot out. While Tracy's face went bright red, Arina just rolled her eyes.

"That's not the issue."

"But then if you don't hate Suiyami-sama for any of those reasons, what is it?" Keiko said.

"I know, I know, it's just...He's hiding something and I know it. And I hate not knowing something."

"Well, a lot of things you don't know about me and you don't seem to care that much." Kaito grinned, leaning in on her.

"Yeah, well you're not hiding it as far as I know." Arina smiled with a friendly swat on the head.

"You'd be surprised." Shinichi replied casually, making Kaito laugh and Heiji raise an eyebrow. Saguru just shook his head with a sigh.

"Well, maybe it's just because you're afraid he might be trying to get too close to your sister." Saguru pointed out. "People can be very protective of their siblings, especially if they're younger or more sensitive and fragile. Either you're just worried about her, or you're jealous."

"You sound like you know something about having a sibling." Thomas commented.

"Well, I can tell you that's it's definitely not jealousy." Arina smiled. "I already know who I want."

Heiji opened his mouth when the music suddenly rose to a higher volume and the loud chattering that resonnated in the gymnasium died out just as fast.

"Starting off with Slow Foxtrot? Alright then..." Shinichi glanced at Kaito, then Heiji and Saguru. All four nodded as they braced themselves for the dance.

Kaito turned to Aoko. "Nakamori-san, will you do this dance with me?" Saguru asked before Kaito could. Aoko beamed at him and accepted. Kaito held back a sigh and asked Ran instead. Shinichi went with Kazuha, and Heiji took Sonoko out to the dancefloor. The music stopped for a moment, everyone waiting in the center and looking at their partners.

Slowly, the music began again.

Shinichi could feel his shoulders tense up and ignored it, focusing only on his legs and his movements, and on not accidentally stepping on Kazuha's feet.

"Ya're a pretty good dancer." Kazuha remarked.

"Thank you." Shinichi replied. "You're not too bad yourself."

"I had Oyaji teach me. Learned tha basics during the week before comin' here- ya have _no_ idea how many times I fell over."

"That's alright." Shinichi chuckled. "I'll admit that I had to do some practice myself."

"I thought ya were already good at dancin' before ya moved back ta Japan?"

"Well, yes...but it's been such a long time, I had to do some warm-up sessions with Kaito. And after we got back in gear, we tried to..."spiff up" our dancing skills."

Kazuha smiled. Shinichi smiled back.

_**xXx**_

"You're better at dancing than you look." Sonoko said.

"Does tha' impress ya?" Heiji asked. "Ya can't imagine how much time I spent tryin' ta get tha steps right- dancin' is like a horror ta me."

"Oh come on, it can't be _that_ bad."

"I'm just hopin' I'll never have ta dance again."

"Believe me, dancing is great. You're not an expert, but you're much better than most people, and dancing can be honestly fun if you do it with the right person."

"...Alright, won' say I'll never dance again. But I still don' like it."

Sonoko grinned.

_**xXx**_

"Any news from Kazuki-kun yet?" Kaito asked. Ran shook her head.

"Not really. He called me last night to see how I was doing...He's still on that "case" of his, won't tell me where or what about..."

"I think he just doesn't want you to worry."

"That's nice of you to say, but that doesn't help me figure out what he's up to...I told him I'd be at the school dance tonight, and when I said I'd be going with you and Kudo-kun he sounded rather angry."

_Yeah, I remember that_, Kaito thought as pictures of Conan spluttering insults about Shinichi into the phone with a bow-tie in between his mouth and the reciever came flowing back into his mind. He and Shinichi had to make an effort not to double-over from laughter while Conan struggled to invent insults harsh enough to sound like he hated his cousin without making Shinichi feel too hurt, and Agasa-hakase watched with an amused smile.

"Maybe he's afraid you might end up preferring his brother over him?" Kaito grinned. Ran let go for a split-second to pinch his arm. "Owowowow, I just kidding!~"

There was a moment of silence where they simply danced, with nothing but the music breaking it.

"Listen, Mouri-chan...remember that no matter how much other people tease you about love, who you decide to share your love with depends entirely on you. Whether you give your heart to Kazuki-kun in the end or not is not for to the others to say. If you end up giving it to Aniki instead...just know that he might not accept it."

Ran blinked.

"Is he in love with someone else?"

Kaito shook his head.

"No. It would be more accurate to say that he's afraid of love."

"Why?"

"...For the very same reasons I am."

Ran stared at him, but did not pry any further. Kaito smiled.

_Thank you_.

_**xXx**_

"How long have you known Kuroba-kun?" Aoko wondered.

"Oh, a few years...We met on the 22th of September to be exact, four years ago. It was raining that night, and I happened to be walking by when I saw the police trying to close the area off due to a murder that had occured. Kuroba was the main suspect."

"No way! What happened?"

"Kudo and Kuroba were on a trip to London and were enjoying dinner in a restaurant. At some point, Kuroba got out of the restaurant claiming he forgot his wallet in the shop down the street and left Kudo to sit for a while so the waiter wouldn't think they'd left without paying. When the police found the body, Kuroba was next to it, his shirt covered with red blotches all over and even a little on his face and hair. Their first assumption was that he had left the restaurant to murder him. It had been quickly dropped and was thought to be a case self-defense. Obviously, Kuroba denied both theories."

"So you came to help?"

"I'm pretty sure that, intellectually, Kudo would have been able to deal with this perfectly fine, but we were only thirteen then and Kudo was not only a foreigner with no connections to the police, but also Kuroba's cousin and therefore had a relationship that could compromise the authencity of his deductions and proof. My father was very well-known with the police force in London, so they knew me well enough to let me onto the crime-scene."

"And then?"

"Turns out Kuroba went to the shop to retrieve the wallet he'd forgotten, got pranked by a kid spraying red paint at him, headed back towards the restaurant, heard a thud, went to check the alleyway it came from, and found the body. Police mainly suspected him due to the red paint on his shirt- which, I'll admit, looked eerily much like actual blood- and the gun beside him. Fingerprints were useless, since the rain had washed them away for the most part. When they discovered that the red on Kuroba's shirt was just spray paint, Kudo and I had already put our heads together and were tracking down the true culprit."

"And so you found the murderer?"

"We did, evenually. More or less. We had the let the police handle the end. Two thirteen years old don't exactly stand much of a chance against a bodybuilder."

"And you all became friends after that?"

"Well, I mainly befriended Kudo first. Running around in heavy rain for over six hours usually ends you up in a hospital room extremely ill. We were lucky enough to share a room and talked a lot. Kuroba came as often as he could, and when he was sent away he'd wait either in the hall or at the hotel until he could come again."

"The three of you must be pretty close..."

"Not as close as three friends who see each other each day, but yes...Yes, we are rather close indeed..."

At that moment, the song ended. Everyone stopped dancing. And then they all clapped.

"Next up, Waltz!" the DJ announced into the microphone, and putting in the next song. Saguru smiled.

"Do we continue?"

"I'd love to." she replied brightly. Saguru watched as Shinichi and Kazuha walked over to buy a couple of drinks, while Kaito and Heiji switched partners- Kaito was now dancing with Sonoko and Heiji with Ran.

And they started dancing again.

_**xXx**_

"So, how didja meet Hattori?" Kazuha asked, taking a sip from her soda cup.

"Trip to Florida." Shinichi replied. "Accidentally knocked his ice-cream over, so we- Kaito and me- bought him a new one. Oh, and a new shirt while we were at it, he needed it."

"Obviously ya talked after tha', no?"

"We talked just long enough to figure out he was on his way to Sea World, that Kaito was afraid of any and every aquatic animal, and that we were just in Florida on vacation. He was nice enough to skip off on Sea World that day and give us a tour of the area."

"Definitely sounds nice o' him."

"He decided to accompany us the next two days, as well. And I must say I was surprised, most people would have just gone back on their way minding their own business."

"What do ya think made Hattori do tha opposite?"

Shinichi shrugged. "Not sure, but I'm assuming that it may have to do firstly with ethnicy. We didn't have any real social problems, most kids were friendly with us and didn't care about our nationalities, but when you live in a foreign country you always feel a subconscious connection with people of the same origin as you, you know?"

"I think I understand, yeah. Never been ta visit a foreign country, I'll admit.

"Hattori doesn't necessarily look like it, but he's an extremely social person. He enjoys talking to people a lot and can be a very good listener when he focuses. Heck, he even knows how to cheer up Hakuba!"

"Him? Cheer up Hakuba? Ya gotta be kiddin' me."

"No, I'm not. They fight a lot because of their opposing ways of thinking and acting, but that's exactly why Hattori of all people probably understands him best. I get along a lot with Hakuba, and so does Kaito, but there's no deep understanding of his mind like Hattori's."

"And you? Ya sound like ya know them better than ya admit. As if ya were all childhood friends."

"I'm a detective, Tomoya-chan. I see those things. And yes, I have a good step ahead more on their personalities then on yours because I've known them for years despite the physical distance."

"How long?"

"Hakuba four years, Hattori two. I was a little surprised when I learned Hattori was returning to Japan same time as us, Hakuba didn't say anything about it on his side. But the four of us going to the same school was probably the biggest shock of my life- but not unwanted, that's for sure."

Kazuha giggled, Shinichi just smiled.

_**xXx**_

"...Araide-han ain' a bad cook, but when I eat I feel like there's somethin' missin', yanno?" Heiji said.

"You mean like spices?" Ran asked.

"Yeah, I just can't tell what kind...I'm a terrible cook, so I'd best not try an' tamper with his stuff unless I'm ready ta feel tha consequences, so..."

"Have you considered learning how to cook?"

"Not really, nah. I've got other things tha' need worryin' about, so cookin' ain't exactly my priority."

"That's a shame, I'm sure you'd be pretty good at it."

Heiji shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe I'll get t' it someday."

Ran smiled. "I can't wait to see."

Heiji grinned. "Oh, by the way" he remembered "whaddya think o' Kudo?"

"Huh?"

"Kudo, tha one standin' over there with Tomoya. Not th' Kazuki guy."

"Oh! Umm, well...he's definitely a nice person. He feels like a very calm and kind person. Kazuki is too, of course, but Kudo-kun appears to me as being more...delicate. He doesn't show it and acts a lot like Kazuki does when there are other people around, but Kudo-kun...might be hiding something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Pain...scars from the past...dark memories...it could be anything."

"Hmm..."

Heiji was scared to admit that her guess was pretty darn close to the truth.

"Well, whatever it is, I'd like to think that he'll tell me himself someday." Ran said with a slight smile. "Hopefully we'll all be good friends in the future."

Heiji smiled back. "I hope we'll be good friends too."

_**xXx**_

"Ne, Kuroba-kun..."

"What is it, Suzuki-chan?"

"Have you...ever had a girlfriend?"

Kaito blinked. "Umm, no..."

"Have you ever been in love?"

"No, not that either..."

"Are you afraid of falling in love?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "...What if I told you I am? Are you trying to get somewhere with that?"

Sonoko shook her head. "Not really. But...let's say I heard Kudo-kun mentionning that if someone were to have a crush on you, they'd have almost no chance."

Kaito stared at her for a while. Then he thought about it for a moment.

"Sounds like he's looking out for you, ne?" he finally said in a bright tone. Sonoko blinked.

Kaito smiled. "Suzuki-chan...Don't get me wrong, you're a wonderful person. Sure, your constant love-rants can be annoying, but you've got lots of energy and willpower, you're ready to do whatever it takes to get something done and have it end with great results, you've got other people's backs when they need someone and you would drown in guilt for a long time if you were to let someone down. I find those to be personality traits that have every right to be respected. But there are too many reasons why it simply wouldn't work out between us...Private reasons. The kind that I'd rather nobody know of."

"Kuroba-kun, if you were to be with someone it's so you can _share_ those secrets with them, no?"

"I know, Suzuki-chan. I know...But if I finally found someone who could be the greatest love of my life, I'd have to tell them _before_ we start the relationship. And that's what I'm afraid of. There are so many people- sometimes even the most understanding ones- that would be able to throw me away just because of that one big reason. Worse, they'd tell the world! ...Suzuki-chan, I'm just not ready. I'm too scared to think that my trust in someone could go too far...Don't be mad at Aniki if he told you to give up, he just didn't want your heart to be broken if he waited too long to tell you."

Sonoko smiled. "It's alright, Kuroba-kun. I'm not mad at him. I'm just...I didn't think you'd be really afraid of that. But I understand. I won't pry."

Kaito smiled back. "Maybe someday, friends or more, I'll tell you. We'll see."

_**xXx**_

"Next up, Tango!" the second DJ shouted into the microphone. Aoko asked Saguru if he'd want a drink, and just as he was about to reply he got a tap on the shoulder and ended up face-to-face with Arina. Guessing she wanted to do this next dance with him, he let Aoko run off to meet Tracy, who was sitting on a chair and looking a little dizzy. Saguru assumed that two songs in a row may have been a bit too much for the fragile boy.

"So, are you good at tango?" Arina asked, getting ready.

"Of all dancing styles, I would say that tango is in my line of expertise." he replied confidently.

Arina smirked. "Let's dance."

And so they did.

The rythm of the song was rather fast compared to the two previous ones, and their steps much quicker. They spun around and around and glided across the dance floor, never breaking eye contact. They were so close it was a wonder they hadn't stepped on each other's feet yet. Despite his uneasiness, Saguru dealt gracefully with his partner, not letting anything show.

Or so he thought.

"You're quite impressive."

"Thank you, but I must admit that it is much easier to dance with someone that has equal skills."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Arina grinned. "Considering that you're not dancing with all you've got."

"What do you mean?"

"You're tense. Uneasy. You pretend that nothing's wrong, but I can feel that you're afraid of how close we physically are. If we pulled any closer, you'd break."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I'd tell you to relax and embrace the contact, but that's not something that can be done with a fingersnap unless your problem lies with the fact that you're dancing with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you."

"I'm glad to hear it." she purred in his ear, sending a shiver down his spine. On reflex he tried to jerk away, but his hands remained stuck to Arina's. She smirked. "Don't worry, I won't bite."

"I wonder about that." Saguru said. Arina giggled.

"Do I scare you?" she murmured, just enough for him to hear her over the music.

"You are unpredictable. That's what terrifies me." he admitted quietly.

"But isn't that also my charm?"

"If that were what attracted me most in a person, I'd be married to Kuroba by now." Saguru replied bravely with a deadpan. Arina laughed.

"So _that's_ why you get along so well!" Saguru chocked and spluttered at the comment, having to pause their dancing for a moment.

"I am straight and have no love-interest in boys." he scowled blushingly. Arina grinned at the sight of his red face. "And if I did, my first and only choice would be Kudo."

"So you've got a crush on Kudo-kun?"

"No."

"That's a shame, you look like you'd actually make a good couple."

"...Why are we talking about these sort of things?"

Arina shurgged.

"I dunno. I just thought it would be fun to mess with your head."

Saguru sighed and shook his head. Maybe Kaito and Arina would make a good pair of insane, unpredictable trouble-makers.

_**xXx**_

"I've talked to Kuroba-kun." Sonoko started. Shinichi blinked. "You know, about the note you gave me." she added.

"...Oh. That." Shinichi sighed. "I'm sorry I wrote something like that, but it's really just for the best..."

"Don't worry. Like I said, I talked to him."

Shinichi smiled. "Thanks for understanding."

Sonoko cocked her head to the side. "But what about you, Kudo-kun? Are you scared too?"

"I- Umm, well...Let's say that having a girlfriend isn't exactly my current priority." Sonoko stared at him, as if waiting for further explanation. Shinichi hesitated. "Alright, let's assume that yes, I am afraid. Now what? It's my problem, and there's nothing anyone can do to help me with it."

"Well, obviously there's nothing _you_ can about it."

"...Considering that I'm the main problem, I would think that I'm the only one who can do anything about it."

"Not."

Shinichi stared. "...Why not?"

Sonoko let go of his hands, pausing their dancing, and placed them on her hips. "Well, obviously true feelings are something that cannot be controlled. Afraid or not, if you fall in love you're in love and that's that. There's nothing you can do about it." Shinichi just blinked.

"Are you asking me to come to terms with the fact that I'll eventually fall in love someday?"

"I'm wondering if you'll ever confess to Ran-chan."

Shinichi felt his heart skip a beat and his face heat up slightly. He had to open and close his mouth several times before he could form a coherent sentence.

"Okay, now I'm confused." Shinichi admitted in defeat. "How does Mouri-chan have anything to do with this? And besides, she's already in love with Kazuki as far as I know, and no matter how much I dislike him, I have no right to interfere."

"It didn't stop you from interferring with Kuroba-kun and me."

"I want to protect Kaito from getting hurt. And I wanted to protect _you_ from being heartbroken had I waited until the last second. Mouri-chan and Kazuki...from what I've heard, it's pretty obvious they _both_ love each other. If he loves her the way she loves him, I have no right to take her away from him. I at least respect Kazuki's feelings _that_ much."

Sonoko stared for while. Then she smiled.

"Well, it's obvious you have a thing for her too. It's not Romeo and Juliet yet, I can tell you're in conflict with yourself about whether you should open up to her a little more or if you should keep your distance, but there's definitely something there already."

Shinichi didn't reply.

"Anyway, I guess what you decide in the end is up to you." Sonoko shrugged with a slight smile. "Don't worry, I won't tell her. But that doesn't mean I'll stop teasing you about it!" And with that, Sonoko went off to the cake stand.

Shinichi never thought Sonoko could hold a serious conversation. But somehow, despite knowing her to be an overly-talkative person, he knew he could trust her to keep her mouth shut.

He smiled.

_**xXx**_

"Kori-chan is better at dancing than I imagined." Keiko commented, watching her glide across the floor with Heiji.

"So are you." Kaito grinned. He had her spin around on herself once before sliding with her in the direction opposite of Heiji and Kori.

"You looked rather jealous when Hakuba-san asked Aoko-chan to dance with him." Keiko started again.

"Well, duh!" Kaito huffed. "Of course I was!"

"So you _do_ have feelings for Aoko-chan!" she chirped, delighted.

"Yeah, dark ones." he scowled. "I mean, how could she steal him _away_ from me?" Keiko blinked.

"Wait, so you're upset because you wanted to dance with Hakuba-san?"

"Obviously."

Keiko stared for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter. Kaito grinned. He won.

_**xXx**_

"There are rumors about you and Arina-chan, you know." Ran pointed out after several minutes of random conversation. "Are they true?"

"Which ones?" Hatsuki asked, confused.

"That you're secret lovers."

Hatsuki shook his head. "No, they're not. Arina-chan is a good friend, but it doesn't go much further than that."

"They say you've been seen kissing a blonde girl despite your constant rants about wanting to remain single."

Hatsuki blushed a little. "...Well, I can tell you that there's definitely nothing between Arina-chan and me."

"Maybe it Kori-chan then?"

"No, there's nothing between me and Kori either."

"Are you even in a relationship?"

"I...yes, I am. That's why I haven't made any more comments these last two weeks. I was too embarassed to admit that she has proven my thoughts wrong."

"Who?"

"My girlfriend."

"Ah~ Who is she?"

"She doesn't come to this school, so you wouldn't know her. She's in Ekoda High instead."

"Hmm, that's pretty far."

"It is, but we still manage to meet up every week-end."

"Well, why don't you go ahead and tell everyone that the rumors about you and Arina-chan are fake?"

"I don't like too much attention."

"Well, those rumors are definitely giving you more attention than you need. 'Single-man and Succubus-Lady as a couple'."

"I- Alright, I'll go and ask Arina-chan to help me confront them, but I don't want to have to answer all sorts of questions about her."

"You didn't seem to care that much about answering me."

"Because you're a different case, we're in the same class, we're friends, and I can trust you. What I want is to not have to tell the world every detail."

Ran smiled. "Well, just tell everyone you don't want to answer. That's what Kudo-kun did when everyone came swarming to him- or you can make someone else answer the main facts and they'll leave the rest out with the classic 'I don't know' act."

Hatsuki thought about it for a while. "I'll come up with something. But thank you for your support, Ran-chan."

Ran winked. Hatsuki smiled.

_**xXx**_

"I'm surprised you came and asked me to dance with you."

"Oh, are you really?"

"No."

"I thought so."

"What did you want to ask?"

Akako smirked. "Why ask what I want when you already know?"

He closed his eyes. "Yes, I know, you want answers. But it is still too early for you to know."

"Know _what_, my friend?"

"I didn't think you'd consider me a friend, but as I said, I can't tell you...yet."

"Why can I not know now?"

"...There are many things that I know. Many things I see. Many things that will happen. Some are good. Some are bad. Some aspects of Knowledge can bring great improvements, as has been shown by the fast developpment of medicine and technology. Some aspects of Knowledge...can bring innumerable misfortunes. While this part of Knowledge is vital for you to know, it is also extremely dangerous. If nothing is prepared, this one, simple fact could be lethal, for you and for many others. Knowledge is not something to be treated lightly. And believe me...I know a lot about knowing."

He let go of her and disappeared among the students. Of course Akako could find him again if she wanted to, but she decided to leave him for now. She knew that even if she came and asked again, he wouldn't answer.

He was one of those rare boys that just didn't seem to be affected by her powers.

_**xXx**_

"Next up, Samba!" the DJ shouted once again. Kaito watched Keiko run off to find Aoko, Kazuha and Tracy sitting on a few chairs. He planned on going to find Shinichi and get some cake, but was held back by Arina who came with a large grin on her face.

"Do you know how to do Samba?"

"As a matter of fact I do." Kaito grinned back. "Is there nobody else that can?"

"I'm sure there is, but you just looked like someone who would like Samba."

"Oh?~ And how would you know that?"

Arina smirked and leaned in on him a little, whispering "Because you're like me."

And the dancing began.

Kaito had to admit, he was enjoying this. Despite the fact that he stayed constantly vigilant in regards of the other people around him, he was actually having _fun_.

"You're tense." Arina finally said after a while, making Kaito blink at her. "Just like Hakuba-kun. Why don't you just relax? Loosen up, let go of everything- you know you want it~"

"How can you know if I want it or not?" Kaito chuckled.

"You cannot stop the wind from blowing the way it wants." Arina smirked mysteriously. "Your fears are your shackles, and there's only one reason for you to remove them."

Her smirk grew even bigger. "..._Freedom_."

The word hit Kaito like a bullet in the head. She was right. Freedom was all he ever wanted. The only thing holding him back were his own fears.

But how could he simply drop his fears like that?

"You don't need to rid of your fears forever." Arina commented, as if she had read his mind. "You just need to forget them for a while. Forget feeling embarassed. Forget getting hurt. Forget everything that's holding you back. _There _is_ nothing to hold you back_."

Kaito closed his eyes, concentrating only on the physical contact he had with Arina and on her words. _Forget everything_. He tried to forget everything that he was afraid of, forget everything that hurt him, forget he was a science project and pretend he was a normal student dancing in the gymnasium, pretend he was one of them.

...He _was_ one of them.

Suddenly, he felt as he let go of everything.

The music stopped.

Kaito opened his eyes again, panting, staring first at the floor, then at Arina. It had only been for a second, but he had felt it. He knew what she was talking about.

And it felt great.

Arina watched him for a moment as he tried to catch his breath, the DJ announcing Cha-cha-cha as the next dance. Kaito chuckled and grinned at her.

"I am _so_ going to go and get a drink now."

Arina laughed.

"Well, then, let me come with you."

_**xXx**_

An hour later, after drinks and cakes and lots of dancing and cheering and singing along during the last few, the party was slowly coming to an end. Shinichi watched as Kaito was using Saguru to stay more or less upright during an laughing-attack (and truth be told Shinichi had no idea how it came to this- neither did Saguru, apparently) while waiting for everyone to come back from wherever they had gone. The moment Kaito finally calmed down, he offered to go and look for them, and left before Shinichi could convince him otherwise. He sighed.

"And we lost another one..."

"Don't worry, they'll be back soon. Besides, the party is almost done, so we'll eventually all be waiting outside and such."

"Yeah, I suppose so..."

Shinichi began to look around, hoping to see a familiar face- well, there were several that were familiar, but he was looking for specific people- when a batch of long, red hair floated by. Shinichi blinked, thinking he'd been imagining it, until he saw it again and recognised the owner of that hair.

"Koizumi-chan?"

Akako turned her head, looking for the person that had called her, before finally spotting him and walking over.

"Did you call me, Kudo-kun?"

"You looked like you might have been looking for someone."

Akako smirked. "No, I wasn't looking for anyone. I've already had the chance to talk with the only person I had business with today, so I'm all set."

"In that case, why don't you stay with us?" Saguru offered politely, stepping forward. "Thay way, when the others come back, we can all dance together for the last song."

Akako snorted. "Do you have _any_ idea what you're asking? If I need someone to dance with, all I have to do is snap my fingers and half the boys will be at my feet fighting to see who will have the privilege to be that someone."

Akako started to laugh pretentiously. Shinichi deadpanned, but Saguru watched her silently before asking:

"Do you want to dance with any of those boys?"

Akako slowly stopped laughing and looked at him, slightly surprised. "...No...I don't."

"Do you like to dance at all?"

The music died, and was immediately followed up by a slower, much softer song compared to the previous hard rock. Akako patiently stared at Saguru, as if she were stunned by his questions. "...Yes, I do."

"If so...would you...dance with me?"

"...I wouldn't mind."

Shinichi watched as Saguru and Akako stepped closer and slowly slid their arms around each other. Shinichi smiled and turned around so he could leave them alone- only to find Ran staring at him.

"Oh, Mouri-chan! I didn't see you, when did you...umm...Mouri-chan, is there something wrong?..."

Ran snapped out of her trance and shook her head.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare like that, it's just- I...well, I remembered the school dance from last year...it's exactly the same, except that...this time, it's not Kazuki-kun. I- I had almost like a 'déjà-vu', seeing you stand there like that from behind..."

Shinichi smiled.

"It's okay. I think I know how you feel."

Ran looked down at the floor, clearly embarassed. Shinichi waited, hesistating, and slowly streched a hand out to her.

"Mouri-chan..."

Ran looked back up at his hand, blinked, and smiled back. He didn't need to say any more.

She took his hand and gently embraced him.

_**xXx**_

"Oi, Kudo- What'cha lookin' at?"

Shinichi looked up from his right palm at Heiji, then back at his palm.

"I was just thinking about the dance again. That last song. The one where I was holding Mouri-chan."

"Wait, ya were _holdin'_ her?"

"Well, it so happens that that's exactly what we _all_ looked like we were doing with our dance partners." Saguru remarked. Heiji sent him a deadpan glare.

Shinichi shook his head. "No, I really mean that I was holding her. Practically _hugging_ her. I can't even stay normal when _Kaa-san_ tries to surprise-hug me, I much less expected to be able to feel alright stuck to _Mouri-chan_ like that."

"Maybe it's the first symptoms of love?" Kaito suggested, entering the room with his pyjamas on and a yawn.

"No, I doubt it." Shinichi replied, thinking. "It's something else. I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Like what, she givin' off Dark Ring vibes that make ya feel like she's some lost test subject o' tha Wing Project?"

"Yes, and they had to abandon her because they accidentally gave her an overdose of antidepressants and calming drugs, making her way too innocent to hurt anyone let alone kill." Saguru added sarcastically.

"Yeah, and in a few weeks Gin will walk up to the agency and knock at their door with a black alien-skull mask covering his face." Kaito grinned. Then he put up a hand in front of his mouth and made heavy breathing noises before saying in a deep, creepy voice "_Ran...I am your faaatheeer- oh, and Kogoro is my pet turkey transformed by magic_."

Turns out Kaito's idea was funny enough for even Saguru to have to wipe away tears of laughter and have a stomach ache. And when Yukiko came to subtly suggest that they go to bed and get some rest after that tiring night, all Shinichi could hope for is that he wouldn't dream about Gin being his real father and Kaito being his pet turkey.

* * *

**Yeah, since it's Valentine's Day, I figured that the school dance would actually make a pretty good thing. I had one chapter planned to be written before that, but since it wasn't necessary...and I'm sure the length of this chapter (longest as of now) **_**plus**_** the addition of the previous normal chapter could easily make up for a gap until May- no, no I'm not going to do that gap (at least I hope not O_o), but I don't want to hear **_**any**_** complaints. That's right, if you have a problem, shut it XD**

* * *

This is where the review replies would have been. Well, this time there aren't any. Too bad for you.


	20. Ch19: Of Feathers And Scars

**Finished writing the chapter before the busy busy week-end. What a relief. Now I can rest for the next two weeks before realising that I have to write the next chapter, and then **_**slowly**_** start writing, and then panic three days before the deadline with barely the first ten lines written down. Hooray.**

* * *

_Chapter 19: Of Feathers and Scars_

Saguru groaned as the alarm beeped annoyingly. He gave the object a slight punch, making it quiet down. While Saguru wasn't usually the kind of person to waste time under the covers, he just really didn't feel like getting up right this second.

Besides, there was no one there to force him or tell him otherwise. Nope, not even Kaito who was sleeping just two rooms away.

Saguru rolled over to lay on his stomach, face deep in his big fluffy pillow and away from the dim morning light prying into the room through the shafts, his mind looking for the thin thread of whatever dream he had just snapped out of. Miraculously finding it, he started dreaming the rest of the dream from where he had left off...

He was floating in some sort of dark void. While the pitch black was pretty creepy, simply floating and doing nothing felt strangely great. He could feel some sort of drifting sensation, like being carried away by soft, warm waves of water. He opened his eyes to notice that he _was_ drifting in water. He stared at the pale sky with a lazy smile and in kind of a daze. He could hear voices...happy voices. Children's voices, and they were having fun. He was pretty sure he could just let himself be carried away by the waves for a very long time.

Saguru slowly snapped out of it as he heard someone calling him. He let his legs drop from the surface and looked around. He couldn't see any specific person that had been calling him, so he just swam to the beach instead. Maybe he would find someone there. His feet met with the sand as he looked around again. The world seemed to be swaying, gradually distorting and getting more and more of a blurr. The laughter of the children playing echoed, but even stronger was the voice that was calling him. Suddenly a strange sound resonnated in the area, high-pitched and very uncomfortable to hear like ultrasound, so Saguru shut his eyes and ears for a second, but still unable to block it out. Laughter mingled with words, with voices, with screams of fear and death, with that someone calling out to him-

"_Kuromizu_."

Saguru whipped around, only to be greeted by the dark void again, and an annoying sound repeating itself. He waited, his heart beating fast, for something else to happen. He started to have breathing problems and wondered why the void was doing this to him. Only to realise he had woken up and was suffocating in his own pillow.

Saguru groaned as the alarm beeped annoyingly. He gave the object a slight punch, making it quiet down. While Saguru wasn't usually the kind of person to waste time under the covers, he wished that damn clock hadn't interrupted his dream.

The blond detective sighed and got up, ruffling his hair a little as he stiffled a yawn, and headed for the bathroom. He turned the tap on and grabbed a cloth to soak it so he could wash his face. Washing his face had helped him wake up a little more, making him more or less ready to confront the following hours of...well, torture, he supposed.

Saguru put the cloth down, and just as he was about to turn the tap off...

_Kuromizu_.

Somehow, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't seem to remember a single thing aside from that. Heck, he couldn't even remember what the voice was like that had said it. He only remebered that it was louder and clearer than the other voices that had tried to speak, and that it was male. Who said it? What did it mean? Was it referring to him? Why so? Why _him_?

Saguru jumped as the bathroom door opened, and watched as Kaito stood in the doorway staring at him.

"...What?" Saguru finally snapped at him, forcing a deadpan to his face.

"I was considering asking you what was wrong, but apparently everything's just fine." Kaito replied with a slight huff.

"Of course I'm fine." Saguru said, turning back to the tap he forgot to turn off and pretended to continue washing his face. "You are obviously the last person after Hattori that I'd tell if I ever had nightmares."

"Well good, 'cause I don't wanna hear about your nightmares."

"Yes, much less the ones that include mysterious voices calling you strange names."

"Oh yeah, those are the worst ones I'd have to listen to. Though they're nowhere near as bad as the ones you get that include Hello Kitty interior decoration, but then again they're more like a private paradise to you aren't they?"

Kaito ran away snickering madly as Saguru shot a glare after him. With a sigh, he turned the tap off and headed downstairs for the kitchen. Yuusaku was there, making coffee.

"Good morning Kudo-san."

"Good morning, Saguru-kun. Would you like some coffee?"

"I would be delighted. As much as I appreciate tea, I don't think I go on much longer without a change of morning taste."

"Ah~ I understand."

Yuusaku placed the first mug in front of Saguru, who thanked him and started sipping his coffee. He held back a wince as it burned his tongue- how careless of him- and put the mug back down, pretending like nothing happened. Yuusaku simply smiled- obviously nothing ever seemed to escape his attention. Saguru sighed.

At the same moment, Kaito burst into the kitchen.

"Yuusaku-san, Hattori is, um, _sick_. Could you prepare the stuff, please?" Kaito informed, before running off again. Yuusaku simply left the coffee machine to it's business and calmly walked out of the kitchen as if he had expected it to happen. Saguru wondered if maybe he actually did. Either that, or he had a masterful Poker Face similar to Kaito's. Saguru (happy to leave his coffee to cool down a little) followed him out and headed upstairs. He stopped in front of Heiji's bedroom and opened ther door.

Saguru watched as his comrade writhed in pain on the floor, groaning and whimpering, twitching uncontrollably as Kaito and Shinichi gave their best to take the suffering teen's top off. He slowly walked over and crouched down, putting a hand to Heiji's cheeck to prop his head a little and keep it stable. His entire body was burning up.

"Kudo, Kuroba, help me get him onto the bed." Saguru ordered. "The floor doesn't feel too comfortable, from what I think."

"Don'- yet-" Heiji growled through gritted teeth. "Wait-"

"I think he's afraid of messing up the bed." Kaito commented with a chuckle, which vanished almost immediately. Heiji had just caught Kaito's hand and was nearly crushing it.

"Get ready." Shinichi warned, backing slightly. Kaito and Saguru shifted a little. Heiji screamed.

And then, something slowly tore through the green-eyed detective's back.

Like watching a butterfly come out of it's cocoon in accelerated speed, a batch of colorful feathers began to pour out- brown, white, black, most of them tainted partially or entirely with bright crimson. Growing, flowing, unfolding.

His wings dropped to the floor like heavy masses. It had stopped. Heiji was unconscious. Yuusaku walked in.

"I brought everything." Yuusaku informed. He blinked as he noticed the blood on Kaito's face.

"One of his wings hit me in the face." Kaito helped.

"I know." Yuusaku smiled politely, handing the material to the boys. Kaito smiled back and started washing off the blood on Heiji's wings with the help of Shinichi and Saguru.

_**xXx**_

"...Alright Hattori-kun, you know the deal: no going outside, and stay clear from the windows. Avoid answering the phone, don't stay in front of the TV all day because it ruins your eyes." Araide reminded politely the next morning, giving the bag another heave.

"Yeah yeah, I know..." Heiji scowled. Araide waved one last time before leaving the house and closing the door behind him. Heiji stood there for a moment before letting out a sigh and heading to the guest room- his room, basically- to crash on the bed. No two minutes had passed and he was already bored to death.

What on earth was he going to do all day long all by himself?

...

Maybe he should start off with some food. Eating was a good idea when one was hungry.

_**xXx**_

"Ne, Kudo-kun?" Arina started, making Shinichi look away from his homework. "Where's Hattori-kun? He didn't come to class this morning, I thought that since you're closest to him you might know."

"He's sick." Kaito replied instead, pausing in his lunch by putting his bento down. "Won't be back for a while, either."

"Is it that bad?" Tracy asked, a little worried.

"How about we visit 'im after school?" Kazuha suggested.

"No, Araide-sensei told us specifically not to come." Shinichi sighed. "Apparently it's awfully contagious and not fun to have at all. But if Araide-sensei says it'll take a week or two, Hattori will be back up and running in three days."

"What do you mean?" Aoko blinked.

"Basically he means that Hattori tends to get back on his feet faster than the average person." Saguru answered politely. "And why are you doing your homework instead of eating your lunch, Kudo?"

"So I don't have to deal with it this evening when I get home." Shinichi replied, scribbling down the answer to some Biology question. "Do you know how much of a pain it is to waste your time at home with this kind of stuff?"

"I happen to know the feeling indeed." Saguru commented darkly.

"Besides, I promised Kaa-san that I would go to the city center with her tonight." Shinichi added, closing his Biology book and pulling out his English one. "I think it's 'to catching up on things'."

"That's nice of you." Ran smiled. "Do you still visit your aunt?"

"You mean Izumi-okaa? I haven't really had the time, but I plan on going there tomorrow to say hi and tell her what I've been up to lately."

"Yeah, and then you can brag about how you got to dance with your twin brother's wife." Sonoko teased. Shinichi blushed slightly while Ran defended herself by saying that "Kazuki and I aren't married!"

"Ne, does anyone know what our next lesson is?" Keiko asked, looking at her classmates.

"Basketball, no?" Aoko answered. "With that annoying Manaka-sensei."

"Sports class, right?" Kaito pondered. "Guess I have no choice, huh..."

"Oh yeah, what about us?" Hatsuki suddenly wondered. "What do we got next?"

"I think we have Math." Sonoko answered.

"Oh, that's right. What about you guys?" Hatsuki asked, turning to Kazuha, Arina and Tracy.

"Um...I think History class, right?" Tracy hesitated, looking at Arina for confirmation. She nodded.

"Good for you if you know what lessons you have next, but I know for a fact that if Kudo doesn't put his homework away soon, he'll miss out on his soccer pratice that starts in four minutes and fifty-three seconds." Saguru announced. Shinichi let out a silent "Crap." before stuffing his books back in his bags and immediately running off.

"He didn't even eat." Kaito sighed. "I wonder if he'll hold out?"

"I think he'll be alright. I'd be more worried about our own Sports class if I were you."

"Yeah, I know..." Kaito groaned back. "Ne, Sutekon-kun, you don't talk much do you?"

"Eh?" Thomas blinked. "Ah! Um- no, I don't..." he continued quitely.

"How come?"

"W-Well...people don't usually pay attention to me, so I sit and listen instead."

"What, are you telling me you're some kind of ghost or something?"

"I'll have to say, I didn't notice he was there until you talked to him, Kuroba-kun." Keiko admitted.

"Same here..." Aoko added shamefully.

"Me too." Sonoko muttered, confused.

"It's alright, I'm used to it." Thomas smiled timidly. "I'll admit, I'm almost shocked _Kuroba-kun_ even noticed my presence. Normally it's just Saito-kun, Jinamai-kun and Suiyami-san."

"Suiyami-san?" Saguru repeated, suprised.

"U-Umm, Suiyami-san really looks out for those that have problems. He's almost always around when Jinamai-kun gets picked on, or when I need someone to talk to. He even gave Saito-kun emergency treatment when he was low on sugar and fainted in the middle of the school grounds. They say teachers and school staff are as afraid of him as most students, but I think they also respect him a lot in a certain way."

"Or maybe they hate him because he's too perfect." Arina muttered with a deadpan.

"Arina-chan, we've been through this a dozen times already." Hatsuki sighed. "I'm not telling you that you should like him, but you should at least give him a break."

"He's up to something. I know it. And I won't let go until I find out what that something is. Not if it could hurt someone." With that, Arina stood up and left. Kori, who had obviously been silent the entire time, blinked at her sister and followed. Tracy hesitated before going after her as well, stuttering a quick "S-Sorry" before leaving. What was left of the group watched them disappear behind a corner.

"Jinamai-kun follows her everywhere, doesn't he?" Sonoko grinned. "Just like a shadow."

"Oh, just leave them." Keiko smiled back. "They'll confess eventually."

"Yeah, I know. And I'm still waiting for Ran-chan and Kudo to walk up to each other as well. Either one of the two."

"Sonoko!" Ran called out angrily. Everyone laughed.

_**xXx**_

"You're late. _Again_." Manaka growled as she eyed Kaito and Saguru with a death glare.

"A-Ah, sorry, Manaka-sensei." Kaito apologized with a sheepish grin. "This time I realised that I'd forgotten my sport clothes in my locker."

"Don't you lie to me, young man. This is the fourth time since the beginning of the year, and my lesson happens to be the _only_ one you two seem to be coming late to _every time_. And it's only the two of you. Now, tell me the truth: why do you come late at every lesson?"

"Umm..." Kaito hesitated. "It's...well..."

"_Well?_" she insisted.

"W-Well, it's because of Hakuba." Kaito blurted out finally. "He doesn't like changing at the same time as the others, and I stay behind so he's not alone-"

"Don't say nonsense, Kuroba-kun. There's no reason Hakuba-kun should-"

"As a matter of fact, he's telling the truth as far as that is concerned." Saguru interrupted.

"Oh please, don't support his lie Hakuba-kun." Manaka sighed angrily. "Why on earth would you be afraid of changing into your sport clothes in front of others and not care about Kuroba-kun's presence?"

"And why not? We've been friends for years!" Kaito shot in. "Do you have a problem with the fact that I've already seen him naked several times and that we've even had showers together?!"

Along with most students coincidentially coming out of the changing rooms, an awkward silence followed.

"...Kuroba, that last statement was completely unnecessary." Saguru muttered quietly, his face a deep shade of scarlet red. Several classmates began to snicker uncontrollably.

"That's not what I was getting at, you perverts." Kaito deadpanned as he aimed his glare at the others. "The point is, I've seen him, and I've seen what he's hiding."

"And _what_ exactly is he hiding?" Manaka inquired.

Kaito didn't reply.

"Please answer my question. Either of you."

Kaito remained silent. Finally, Saguru put a hand on Kaito's shoulder, nodded, and turned to Manaka.

"Manaka-sensei...is there someplace private we could go to?"

"...There is, but I distrust boys a lot. I'm not going somewhere with you unless another girl accompanies us, and unless you or Kuroba-kun can prove your excuse I'm not letting you off the hook."

"In that case...Koizumi-san might do." Saguru said quietly, but loud enough for the others to hear. Akako blinked. "Unless you have a problem with me choosing which person is coming?"

"No, I don't."

"May I request that Kuroba come as well?"

"...Alright, but only because the two of you seem to be unable to separate. Follow me." With that, Manaka walked off. Saguru followed. Kaito gave Akako a quick glance before the two of them went as well, leaving behind a large group of confused students.

The teacher opened the door to what Saguru rememebred to be the staff room. A few tables and chairs were scattered around, a coffee machine sitting in a corner, and a bunch of lockers ligned up against the wall. Manaka closed the door behind them.

"Alright Hakuba-kun, I'll give you three minutes to explain." she said, leaving no room for discussion. Saguru began taking off the top of his uniform, starting with the suit. Then he took off his tie, handing the clothes to Kaito for him to hold as he gradually undressed. As Saguru slowly unbuttoned his shirt Kaito noticed her face twitch.

Saguru turned his back to Manaka before letting his shirt slide down, arms still in his sleeves. Manaka gasped, Akako stared.

Two big, ugly scars ran down his back, as if someone had repeatedly slashed him with an enormous knife on both sides in an unfinished V-shape. While they looked faded enough to assume they were from a long while back, they seemed oddly fresh at the same time. As if they had never had the chance to heal over time.

"This is..." Manaka whispered, somewhat shocked.

"This was from seven years ago." Saguru said. "My father was chasing after a murderer back in London, and I happened to be in the area at that time with my mother. It was pure coincidence that the murderer took me hostage instead of another. I was...deeply shaken, after they retrieved me from that person's grasp. I never really got over it, either. Kuroba first saw these when I was in the hospital recovering from an illness in the same room as Kudo. We had only just met back then...but they never asked me about them. They preferred to wait for me to tell them, rather than pry."

Saguru slid his shirt back onto his shoulders and buttoned it back.

"Many are unable to believe that two people that have seen each other one week every year for four years can have a stable friendship." he continued, taking the tie from Kaito's hands. "Many are those unable to comprehend the deep connection we share though the understanding we have of each other." Kaito handed the suit top to him, which Saguru accepted from him. "Many are the ones that cannot see the fine line between all the possible relationships. There is no love, there is only a bond that goes beyond a simple friendship."

"...Those are quite some deep words coming from such a young man." Manaka commented. "You must've seen quite a lot in your life, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have."

"Well, my dear philosopher, I must say you've gained a certain respect from me. Don't think it means I trust you though."

"Don't say that, I know you thought he looked rather sexy without his clothes on!" Kaito joked with a manic grin. Manaka's face twitched again.

"Kuroba-kun, I _will_ make sure you do twice as much exercise as the rest of the class this afternoon." she said evilly. Kaito chained in with an overdramatic act of complaint and half-begged in an exaggerated manner for her to spare him as Saguru dragged him to the gymnasium, but somehow there seemed to be something more between the four of them. Saguru had to smile. Who knew that those scar marks left by those wings he hated so much could create such a special feeling?

_**xXx**_

When they came back to the class, the girls were surrounding Felix and Kori, assaulting them about the dance ceremony from Saturday night. Well, they were mostly trying to get their hands on Kori to give her a piece of their mind for "having priviledge of dancing with Suiyami-sama", and getting Felix to spill the beans as to why he refused all of the other girls that night. By the time Akako entered the door and saw them, the boys had started coming at Felix as well to ask their own questions.

The teacher came in, and he finally snapped.

"Enough everybody." he said, a slight hint of anger in his voice. He hadn't shouted, but it was enough to make them take a step back. "If you don't stop this instant, I will have you all in front of the school's headmaster for group harassment on a fellow classmate."

Considering the threat came from the HDC himself, they all quieted and backed away immediately. The teacher clapped her hands a few times to get the students' attention and started giving them instructions.

Akako didn't really listen to anything the teacher said, and instead began to think back to her little discovery five minutes earlier.

First off, when Saguru was told that a girl was to accompany them...why was she the first person to come to his mind? Why her? She had easily assumed that if he were to choose someone, it would be Aoko. After all, they seemed to get along much better. Was it because she seemed trustworthy? Was it because...of Saturday?

_Oh don't be pathetic_, _Akako_, she mentally scowled. _He's just a guy like another, even if he's got a different aura that I still haven't deciphered._ _Just. Another. Guy. Seriously, as if there weren't enough of them after her._

But still... That boy...

Akako shook her head to get the music, the lights and his soft smile out and get to the next part.

Another question to be raised was those scar marks. There was something..._off_ about them. As much as they looked like it, they hadn't been caused by a big knife. They hadn't come from _outside_, but from _inside_ his body. And that led to the ultimate question.

What on earth could have caused such horrible scars from inside the human body? Was there even a such thing that could grow inside of the body and tear through his very skin?

Maybe he had suffered a curse when he was small. It could explain the scars and their shape, and possibly the aura around him- she'd never seen the aura of a cursed person after all, considering she'd never cursed someone herself- but then that would mean that Shinichi, Kaito and Heiji had suffered a curse as well and either had the very same scars in their own backs, or had such a deep bond _because_ they had all been cursed.

Yes, maybe a curse was the answer. It would explain nearly everything.

...

..._And maybe I could find a counter-curse for them?_...

She mentally slapped herself. Why should she, anyway? Besides, if they had been cursed at some point, they had probably deserved it. A witch didn't curse people just for the sake of cursing someone. Well, she knew one witch that did, but somehow she doubted that she cursed all four of them and that they oh-so just happened to be friends after having been cursed by the same witch. ...Then again, from what she had seen of them, they didn't seem like the kind to deserve to be cursed.

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed to just confuse her. The answer to one question kept bringing up a new one, like an endless spiral that kept on going down, down, down....

Oh, she hadn't asked Lucifer yet. During the past two weeks she had been so focused on unmasking her previous target that she completely forgot she'd never asked him about _them_.

As the teacher gave the signal for them to stand up and start the warm-up (and oh yes, she was forcing Kaito to get his legs in gear for double run-time, and that was quite an evil smirk she was wearnig on her face there despite Kaito seeming perfectly happy about doing more exercise than the others), Akako decided that she would summon Lucifer when she got home that evening. Surely he would be able to give her some answers to her questions. After all, Lucifer was an expert as far as magic was concerned, so he'd know what's up with them.

...Right?

* * *

**As a note for those that haven't seen it or haven't been notified or whatever, I've started a drabble collection based off whatever sweet, angsty or cracky things that are said or happen between my boyfriend *blush* and me. 50 prompts, 50 pairings, 50 drabbles. Since they're short they're easy to juggle with Birds of a Feather and can be updated you're interested, go look for "When You Say You Love Me" on my profile, you should be able to find it I'm sure.  
**

* * *

**Miruial:** Keep reading and you'll eventually figure it out~ You're welcome for the double-chapters.

**A Smiling Cat:** I enjoy your reviews all the same XD But yeah, I do that skipping-chapters-thing too, so it gets me confused every now and then. I don't read author notes often either, but I do read the short ones. And good for you if you made your peace with your new name XD

**Mangaluva: **I remember Love Sickness. That was- still is- my favorite KaiCon doujinshi XD And I understand Kaito and Conan all too well...messing with Saguru's head is just way to fun to _not _do it XD

**Marie Ravenclaw: **...We don't have proms in France...Or at least not where I'm from. If someone treated me like a sidekick, I probably wouldn't even care (much less notice)- but I don't have enough friends for that. I mean- I've got my boyfriend, my best friend, Chu-chan, and Tsu-chan. And Chu and Tsu are people I met _over the net_, so I'm really just completely shut away from everything- not that I mind, honestly. "Having a close friend is better than having many regular friends"~

**Nequam-tenshi:** I still have no idea why I added that random part. But who cares? 8D

**Animegirl1987: **That's okay. I'd love to see your drawing anyway. Who knows, maybe it's something I can use later on? 8D

**Arcy911913**: You're welcome xP I still have no idea how it even came to me XD


	21. Ch20: Taking It Early

**Late. Well, I kinda managed to finish it more or less on time somehow- a miracle, really- and can you tell it was a little rushed? Anyway, enjoy~**

* * *

_Chapter 20: Taking It Early_

He was bored. He was so bored. _So bored_. So much it was nearly unbearable. He was too awake to sleep, his eyes would easily be ruined if he stayed in front of a screen for too long, he was supposed to try and not empty the fridge, and he wasn't allowed to bounce around the house lest he didn't mind people seeing him and his oversized bird-wings through the windows.

Boredom sucked.

What actually made it worse was the fact that this was the first time he had to deal with it alone. No Shinichi, no Kaito, heck even Saguru was better than nothing- he'd at least have someone to complain to about it. Normally when his wings were out the three others would be around, talking, joking, Saguru and him fighting, without a care or a worry, pretending like having wings was basically _normal_- something he couldn't exactly do now that he was supposed to "lead a normal life". Obviously he enjoyed his new life as Hattori Heiji, but sometimes- just sometimes- he wished he could go back to being the sparrow he used to be. After all, he'd grown up to live with wings, and make use of his wings. He still needed the freedom of being able to spread them.

Heiji heard a faint clicking sound coming from downstairs. He sat up on his bed and blinked. Was Araide already back? Unless he had business outside of school, it was impossible. His family wasn't supposed to come until the evening either. He checked the time- barely four hours after noon.

His ears picked up hushed voices coming from downstairs. Front door area. He didn't recognise any. Thieves, maybe? Heiji smirked.

Oh, this was going to be fun...

Figuring he'd make good use of the toys in the guest room next to Heiji's, he grabbed a couple wind-up toys and some marbles before rushing soundlessly down the stairs. He slid silently against the wall and peeked into the living room where two tall men in their mid-thirties seemed too busy grabbing anything money-worth to notice his presence. They were muttering comments to each other quite loudly, mostly about how much certain things would sell on the black market. Heiji grinned as he gently put the tightly wound car toy on the floor and ran away as the toy sped across the room and, apparently, smashed right into one of the thieves' legs, judging from the loud swearing. Holding back a gleeful cackle worthy of Kaito, Heiji vanished behind the next corner, quickly placing a few marbles he collected earlier on the floor, before peering past his hiding spot to look. It took a couple seconds, but the thief finally spotted him and began to run in his direction. Being faster, Heiji disappeared into a farther room and started looking around for more "innocent" weapons. The sound of rolling marbles and a loud thump echoed in the household, making Heiji only happier.

Boredom had just jumped out of the window like the house was on fire.

_**xXx**_

When Tomoaki finally got his car lined up to the wall next to his house, he jumped out as quick as possible and ran to the door where several police officers stood, ignoring the flashing lights of the cars around. He passed them and found Heiji wearing a grey, oversized knit sweater, standing in the middle of the hall as he stared down at two unknown men being cuffed by one of the policemen.

"He's a monster! I monster I tell you!!" one them shouted, his face pale as a sheet of paper. "That strength is inhuman! And those wings- those bird wings! He's not human I tell you!!"

Tomoaki paled slightly, looking up at Heiji. The high-school detective simply shrugged like they were delirious.

"He put that sweater on just so you wouldn't see them, I swear he has wings!!" the man continued to shout. The officer that tried to pull them away rolled his eyes, while another approached Heiji with a sigh.

"Would you mind taking your sweater off?" the second officer asked. Tomoaki opened his mouth to object, but Heiji took it off without questions. Aside from a green t-shirt, he had nothing else under the sweater. The officer patted him down the back, and announced clearly that there was absolutely nothing suspicious about the boy's physique.

"But I swear he had wings!!" the man continued to shout as the officer dragged him out the door. "I don't know how he did it, but he had them!! He should be killed!! Kill him before he eradicates humanity!!"

"Sorry for the inconvenience." the officer apologized before leaving as well. Tomoaki and Heiji stood silently in the hall until the wailing sirens of the police echoed in the distance and finally vanished.

"...The house is a mess." Tomoaki said in hope of breaking the awkward silence, glancing at the scattered toys and tools.

"Yeah." Heiji replied flatly, still staring at the door.

"So...what happened?"

"Long story short, the thieves came in, I decided ta play with 'em a bit, danced around th' house for a half hour or so, they got sick of our hide-an'-seek game, took a shot at me, I lost my cool, an' I attacked 'em."

"Hattori-"

"Knocked 'em unconscious is all. I'm surprised I didn't actually kill 'em when th' bullet grazed my cheek." Tomoaki sighed as Heiji still stared at the door. It was like the boy suddenly refused look at him. _Couldn't_ look at him.

"...Come with me, let's get that cheek of yours tended to."

"Araide-han," Heiji muttered, making Tomoaki stop before he could even turn to go fetch an aid-kit "why are humans like this? They only see what they want ta see. They only accept what they want ta accept. They don't think any farther, and shove away anythin' that doesn't suit 'em. Why do they look for perfection when it don't exist?"

"I don't know, Hattori-kun." Tomoaki replied quietly, giving him a pat on the shoulder. He'd already touched Heiji so often that the boy almost didn't tense at the contact anymore. "If I did, I think I would be a bigger help than I am now."

"Is that even possible?" Heiji grinned at him. Tomoaki smiled and relaxed a little, he seemed a little better already.

"So, how did you fool that policeman into thinking you didn't have any wings?" Tomoaki asked as they headed to the washroom. "You didn't already take the pill, did you?"

"Actually, I did." Heiji admitted. "I knew th' other guy saw my wings, so I took it as a precaution."

"Isn't that going to have consequences on your internal stability?"

"Well, s'not like I took it two minutes after it happened. Ya can't expect everythin' ta be perfect, but I ain't gonna die just 'cause I took th' pill earlier than planned."

"I'd hope not." Tomoaki chuckled. They arrived in the washroom, walls plastered with white wallpaper and the floor decorated with white and pale blue tiles, and he made Heiji sit on the toilet seat cover before searching through the small cabinet behind the mirror to pull out an antibiotic bottle and a couple plasters.

"Now, give me that cheek of yours for a second, and then take your shirt off so I can take a look at your body."

"Araide-han, my back's fine. I've been livin' like this th' last six years."

"I know you have, Hattori-kun, and that can become dangerous." Tomoaki sighed as he gently dabbed at the cut on Heiji's face. It was dangerously close to the boy's left eye. "I'll also have to call the three others up soon to see how everything is..."

"Ya mean ya plan on studyin' our systems an' wing cycles, don'tcha?"

"I...personally would've put that in politer terms so you don't get offended," Tomoaki admitted after a flinch, and continued as he plastered a band-aid "but yeah, that and the fact that I still have to check up on your torsos- especially Kudo-kun's."

"Just don't use those terms in front a' Hakuba an' s'okay, but whaddya mean by saying especially Kudo's?" Heiji frowned. Tomoaki motioned for him to take his shirt off, and the dark-skinned detective obeyed.

"You, Kuroba-kun and Hakuba-kun got a more or less proper treatment thanks to Kudo-kun having good sewing skills that I still can't figure out where he got them from, but Kudo-kun's was a lot more rushed since he came in last and the members of the Dark Ring were already starting to come after us." Tomoaki sighed, still somehow managing to sound professional. He gave Heiji a soft punch in the back, making the boy straighten up and let him see the oversized- and horribly fresh-looking- scar marks. From what Tomoaki could see (thought mostly only guess), they'd only just started mending again.

"How much does it hurt when you're walking around?" Tomoaki asked, looking carefully at every inch of them.

"It don' hurt at all." Heiji replied. "I mean, ya'd think I wouldn't be used ta it by now."

"Don't lie, it took you everything to not show any reaction when that officer patted you down, didn't it?" Tomoaki sighed again, pulling back a little and resting a hand on the boy's back. Heiji didn't succeed in hiding a painful twitch, or maybe he didn't even try considering he'd let out a hiss as well.

At the same time as Tomoaki shifted to see Heiji's cut mark in the front, someone shouted throughout the house.

"Tomoaki! Tomoaki, where are you?" the voice of Tomoaki's grandmother called out.

"I'm in the washroom taking care of Hattori-kun, Obaa-san!" he shouted back, but a little too late. The house maid had just walked in, and skidded to a halt with a gasp of surprise and embarrassment as she spotted the two young men.

"T-Tomoaki-san! Hattori-san! I-I'm so sorry, I-"

"It's alright, Hikaru-chan." Tomoaki smiled gently. "You didn't expect to see us in here."

"I- um- I'm really sorry!" Hikaru apologized again, bowing. "Ah, but Hattori-san, what happened to you? Tomoaki-san said that you would need three days before you recover..."

"Yeah, I kinda took the pill earlier than I should've." Heiji admitted with a sheepish grin. "But that's okay, I ain't gonna die yanno!"

"I hope so. I really liked your wings, they're beautiful." she smiled back before realising what she'd just said and blushing violently. "I-I'm going to go prepare dinner!" Heiji couldn't help but blink as she ran off.

"...Now I'm th' one who's embarrassed..." he mumbled, his cheeks tinged with pink. Tomoaki chuckled.

"Alright Hattori-kun, turn towards me. Right. ...Hmm...I think we can take the thread out soon, so we might as well take care of it before you go to bed tonight."

"Yanno, sometimes ya make it sound like I'm just a kid." Heiji smirked.

"Sorry." Tomoaki smiled back. "Alright, I'll go ask Tou-san for some soothing cream and some bandages so we can put them on after we removed the stitches in the front. It should feel better tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Araide-han."

Speaking of Tomoaki's father, they could now hear him screaming at the house maid for staining his shirt. With water. The young doctor shook his head and headed out.

_**xXx**_

Heiji always thought that there were certain things in the Araide household that could be better. He never voiced them, since he'd only been there for slightly more than two weeks, but first impressions could be very telling. And actually, it had more or less been the same procedure every day.

After standing up and following Tomoaki out of the room (he tried to call him Araide in his mind so he didn't end up talking to him in a too familiar way when at school, but here it was hard to think and tell the difference between this Araide, that Araide, the other Araide and the last Araide, so he was kind of forced to think and address him by his first name), he quickly rushed into "his" bedroom and started looking through his schoolbag to find his schedule for the next day. Depending on Tomoaki's decision, he'd probably have to either go back right away, or he'd be allowed to stay at home for three days like planned. Personally, Heiji preferred being allowed to go back to school- staying alone with nothing to do was a horrible experience Heiji sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to ever deal with in his life again.

Coming back down the steps, Heiji passed by grandmother Mitsu with a quick greeting before looking for Tomoaki again. He wanted to discuss the school-matter with him as soon as possible so they had time to debate it instead of rushing the end decision. Heiji found Tomoaki talking to his father in the living room.

"I'm sorry, Tou-san, we didn't have time to clean things up before you came back." Tomoaki apologized.

"Don't worry son, you should leave cleaning to the house maid. Then again, I wouldn't rely on her too much, she's too clumsy."

"She's really making an effort to help, Tou-san, you shouldn't be so hard on her."

"Maybe I can help do somethin'?" Heiji offered, making the two men turn to him.

"Your help would be very much appreciated Hattori-kun, but I refuse that you move around and bend over too much before tomorrow."

Heiji gave him a deadpan stare. "Sheesh, I know ya say that in my best int'rests, but do ya _have_ ta be so uptight about everythin' I do?"

Tomoaki smiled. "If you're really dying to be able to do something, we might as well get that cream on now instead of tonight and then you can help Yoko-san with cooking once she gets back, deal?"

"Aw man, I suck at cookin'..." Heiji muttered, but agreed anyway. Instead of heading back to the washroom, Tomoaki led Heiji to the small clinic of the house. Without thinking too much, Heiji sat onto the available bed and pulled his shirt off before waiting for Tomoaki's instructions.

"Alright Hattori-kun, face towards me so I can pull the stitches out."

Heiji sat still, silent and unmoving, while Tomoaki pulled the thin thread out piece by piece, quietly focusing to not make any mistakes. It took a while, but when Tomoaki finally finished, Heiji let out a sigh of relief and fell back onto the bedcovers.

"Oi, Araide-han?" Heiji started as Tomoaki went and fumbled around with a couple of drawers to find the healing cream thing. "About school..."

"Ah, yeah. You probably want to go back instead of staying here, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you can go." Tomoaki smiled, pulling out a tub of cream he'd just found. "Just put on a mask and pretend like you still have a very serious cough or something."

"Sure, an' can I skip out on class in th' mornin'?"

Tomoaki blinked in surprise. "Eh? Why?"

"Sports." Heiji replied flatly.

"Oh. I get it. That's a good idea."

"Thanks, Araide-han."

"Tomoaki-san!" Hikaru called, running into the clinic. She came to a halt and gasped in surprise as she saw that Heiji was- once again- shirtless, but quickly came back to her senses and looked at Tomoaki, holding out a phone. "Tomoaki-san, it's one of your clients- Hashimoto-san."

"Oh, this is going to take a while." Tomoaki sighed, giving Heiji and apologetic look. "I have an idea- Hikaru-chan, could you do this for me? Please take this cream and rub it on Hattori-kun's back. Unless you have a problem with Hikaru-chan doing...?"

"Nah, I'm fine with it...I guess. But is Hikaru-chan okay with doin' that?"

"I- I think I can take care of it. I just have to spread it out evenly without hurting him, right?"

"Yeah, that's it. Thank you, Hikaru-chan." Tomoaki smiled before accepting the phone and walking away with it.

There was something of an awkward silence before Hikaru snapped out of it and opened the tub of cream. She then walked over to Heiji, asked him to turn around a bit so she could reach his back, and sat beside him. Heiji let out a hiss as her fingers touched him and tensed slightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry! D-Did I hurt you?"

"Nah, it only stings a bit- but I didn't expect th' cream ta be so damn _cold_!"

Hikaru giggled a little at the reply and continued to spread the cream out. While Heiji had indeed spent his life living with the pain and learning to try and ignore it, he'd have never thought that the healing cream would work a miracle and actually make him feel better.

"I, um, I'm sorry for what I said earlier." Hikaru continued. Heiji blinked.

"Whaddya mean?"

"About your wings, I said it without thinking, and- well, I mean..."

"Are ya regrettin' sayin' it or somethin'? Ya shouldn't be."

This time, it was Hikaru's turn to blink. "Eh?"

"It really made me happy ta hear someone say that." Heiji smiled. "I was probably more embarrassed than you were, considerin' that- well, I think it's th' first time someone even ever said that ta me at all. An' it means a lot ta me that you an' th' Araide's understand my situation an' accept me as I am. It really does."

"I- I don't deserve that much praise..." Hikaru mumbled, probably blushing even if Heiji couldn't see it. "I'm clumsy and always do something wrong, so I..."

"Since when is bein' clumsy a crime? Everyone makes mistakes, it's only human. Even I make some- th' last time I made one I got a good scoldin' from Hakuba, but even he knows that ya can't always have everythin' go th' way ya want." Heiji smiled and gave a shrug. "Life is like a flow of water, either ya go with it or against it, ya just don't get much out of goin' the other way, and life pulls ya back it's way in th' end anyway."

"...Wow, that was nice. It sounded like the kind of line that belongs in a philosophy book."

"...Heck, you're right! Where th' hell did I pick that line up from?" Heiji asked aloud, making Hikaru giggle again.

"Stop laughing you two!" Yoshiteru's voice suddenly boomed, making them stop immediately and stare stunned at the figure standing in the doorway. "Hikaru, you weren't hired to flirt with guests, now finish up what you're supposed to do and get to the next task!"

"Y-Yes, Araide-san!" Hikaru blurted out, watching Yoshiteru turn around and leave again. Heiji sent a deadpan glare after him.

"Geez, can't ya even have a nice chat with someone every once in a while? What's with that stick in th' behind attitude- oh, wait wait wait, I think he's remindin' me of someone- wait, no, Hakuba's worse, so I can't use him as th' victim in this one..." Heiji muttered thoughtfully. Hikaru snorted, immediately hiding it with a fake cough. Heiji turned around as Hikaru finished spreading the cream and reached for the bandages next.

"Hikaru-chan, if there's one thing I can say ta ya: don't let that guy pull ya down. Ya can't let him get ta ya, ya can't let him trample your feelins', ya can't let him make ya feel like you're nothin' but mud at his feet. Ya can be clumsy, ya can make mistakes, he can fire ya from your job, but if there's one thing he can't take away from ya it's your kind heart. Make sure ya don't lose it."

Hikaru first blushed and stared at him for a while, but in the end she smiled at him. "Thank you, Hattori-san."

"Ya can call me by my first name. When Yoshiteru-san ain't around. So: buddies?"

Hikaru's smile widened into a grin "Alright, Heiji-san. Buddies." Heiji and Hikaru gave each other a high-five before Tomoaki came walking back in, a little confused about the overly-happy look on their faces, but decided to not ask any questions and simply smiled.

_**xXx**_

"Lucifer."

A swirl of wind arose in the enclosed stone room at the quiet call of Akako's voice as the witch slowly stepped back. A figure slowly formed over the star-shaped symbol on the small circular table.

"_Who dares call me?_"

"I do." Akako replied firmly. "Lucifer, there are things I want to ask you."

There was a long moment of silence.

"I am waiting for your attention, Lucifer." Akako finally said.

"_I was simply wondering what on earth you would want to ask _this_ time. You cannot expect me to begin stalking Him just because of your undying curiosity._"

"As wonderful of an idea as that sounds, I came to ask about someone _other_ than him this time." Akako replied, making Lucifer stare in semi-shock. She smirked. "Actually, there are four of them. Their names are Kudo Shinichi, Kuroba Kaito, Hattori Heiji and Hakuba Saguru."

Akako waited for Lucifer to say something. Except that there was another very long waiting time.

"Lucifer." Akako growled warningly, hoping he'd react at her tone.

"..._What is it you want to ask about them, exactly?_"

This didn't sound good.

"They showed up two weeks ago, and they have particular auras I've never seen before. They are similar to the others', yet still different. Why is that?"

Another long pause. Except that this time, Akako didn't have to call his name again.

"_They are the other half of the puzzle you so desperately seek to solve, yet there are still missing pieces needed to be found. He already knows, and He is preparing the stage for when the time comes. He sees what is to come, and He shall be the one to answer all of your questions when He deems the time is right_."

"Does it have something to do with that Heart-thing you mentioned last time?" Akako asked quickly before Lucifer could vanish.

"..._The Heart must remain hidden as long as possible, for there are those who seek to use the Heart's pureness for their own greed_."

"But what _is_ the Heart?" Akako demanded, this time a little too late. Lucifer was already gone.

She sighed, and sourly walked out of the summoning room, closing the massive wooden door behind her as the flames on the torches flickered and eventually burned out.

_**xXx**_

_"...Now where is she? What happened to her?"_

_"Stop it. There's no use in asking."_

_"Where is she, Gin?"_

_"I told you to stop."_

_"Well, fine then. I'll stop working until you tell me what I want to know."_

_"...It's pointless. You'll never get the answers you want."_

She didn't look up at him as he stopped by her. He kneeled so that he wouldn't be looking down at her. She smirked mentally. Even in a situation like this, that man took care of her like a worrying father.

"...Why?" came the silent question.

"I'm sorry, Redwood. But this is the choice I've made."

Silence. She slowly raised her head, and smiled weakly.

"I guess...I'll never be free, huh?"

"Don't say that. Of course you will."

He said that, but she knew there was no helping her.

All she could do was sit and wait for her end to come.

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**I corrected it the moment I saw it while re-reading, but when I first wrote Araide saying "Take your shirt off so I can take a look at your body", I missed a letter while typing and it ended up as "So I can take a look at our body". I gotta admit, I thought "wtf did I write"? XD**

**IMPORTANT****: Okay, not so important really, but for you people who like to skip author notes like I do, I figured I should underline that word so you stop to read this part like the others do and so I can bring your attention to the fact that I wrote a sub-chapter that you can read by using the following link...**

_http:// birds-of-a-feather. ohmyforum. net/ sub-chapters-f4/ chapter-20b-forget-what-others-think-of-you-t7. htm_

**...after taking the spaces away, of course. It's on the (still unfinished) "Birds of a Feather" forum, just so you know.**

**Actually I called it a sub-chapter because it's a part of the story, but that you don't have to read to understand what's going on. Sub-chapters will all be OC-centered, so for those who don't like OC-centered chapters/stories/bonuses/whatever, well you won't have to follow the link, and you won't feel like you missed something important XD I didn't make it an omake because I decided that the omakes are...unrelated to the story and mostly crack ideas anyway.**

**Comments on the sub-chapter can either be added in a review here, or in the DCMK discussion section of the forum. (Wow, I sound like those adversiment suckers...so what? XD)**

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**Mangaluva**: Yes, I love Akako too XP But as far as the pairing is concerned, you're gonna have to wait for a while...XD As for Lucifer's thought on the boys...well...XD

**LeonaWriter**: Welcome to the fic, glad you like it so far. I completely forgot people actually still go and look at the fan-trailer vid, so I was surprised when I found your comment XD As far as the OCs are concerned, they will have a role later on, but I'm not saying what obviously XP I'm actually having trouble with them because I'm trying to balance their role and their appearances...s'not easy '__' Also, about the canon manga classmates, I put them in when I find some names and faces. The only ones that I can think of off the top of my head are Nakamichi and Aizawa (Shinichi's soccer buddies), but I'll definitely be adding at least some of the others. For your request to see the others in their new homes, you just reminded me of another issue I have to deal with XD Added them to the timeline, they'll show up soon...well, kinda '__'

**Marie Ravenclaw**: Actually I'm also all for meeting people, but whenever I finally get to those kind of places I end up sitting in a corner by myself because I'm too shy to go and talk XD Besides, I'm a weird person, so I doubt we'd stay friends...Like I said, I only have four that I feel close to, one of them being my boyfriend and two others living in different countries, so in the end I stay in front of the screen and write and read and watch DC episodes and sometimes meet people through online games (but I don't more often than do) XD And yeah, that's how we shall call him from now on..."_Lucy-chan_" *dies*

**Animegirl1987**: To be honest I have trouble remembering everything so I have to keep going back to re-read some of my previous chapters to make sure all the details fit. There's a lot of juggling to do between their lives in the Dark Ring, their fake pasts, their current lives, the excuses the boys need to make up for all the things that can't be hidden, the way they try to put the pieces together to make everything believable (and actually I might have screwed up on the timing because I wrote that two weeks have passed since their first school day even though it might be three, it's confusing enough that even I can't do the math) I like to say I'm stupid and suck as far as schoolwork is concerned, others like to say I'm smart and am denying my potential. I like to think that my so-called hidden intelligence applies to remembering 'useless' things, but at least it helps me with the fic XD

**A Smiling Cat**: You keep saying that again every month, so I think I got the point XD And craziness is what brought this fic up in the first place B3 Merci pour les commentaires tout de même, j'les apprécie beaucoup XP

**Aiko96**: Sorry for making your stomach hurt XD But it was too good for me to not put that in though. No idea how I even thought of it, but oh well XD

**MidnightSushiNinja**: I still can't remember where the heck the idea came from. But I think it started off as meant to be a fic about "what if the Gosho Boys were from the BO?", which they're not anymore due to circumstances (haha). Once again, to all readers, sorry for making it a monthly update only but I'm such a slug when it comes to writing XD

**Static Messenger**: You're not the first one to have commented about how the story resembles "Maximum Ride", but I still don't know what it is really XD Well, I do if I look at what I've written up to now, I've just never read MR =P


	22. Ch21: Scented Paper

**Omake 2 is up =D (_"One Hell of a Truth_****", Magic Kaito section)  
**

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_Chapter 21: Scented Paper_

Pretending to be a kid wasn't easy, especially for someone who was already smarter than the average high-schooler. So, for that someone, elementary school was more or less a living nightmare.

Kazuki- better known as "Conan" in this state- was fighting the very persistent urge to slump over his desk and give in to boredom and misery once and for all. Thank Kami the school bell rang before he _really_ gave in.

"Conan-kun!" _Oh no, please not right now_...

"What is it, Ayumi-chan?" he asked, forcing a smile so the girl didn't worry about the previous expression on his face.

"How about we hang out all together this evening?" she chirped brightly. "I thought you might be lonely without Naoki-kun sitting next to you today. You miss his special lemon-scented papers too, right?"

"Ah, that's nice of you Ayumi-chan..." Conan was honest there "...But I already have something else I want to do. Besides, I don't like his lemon papers."

"Mou, that's a mean thing to say Conan-kun!" Ayumi pouted. "And that something else you want to do is to go see Shinichi-niichan, right? Do you like playing with Shinichi-niichan so much more than with us?"

"Yeah, we plan on doing some soccer together for a bit before hanging out at the hakase's house to play the new Kamen Yaiba game." Conan replied.

"Eh, really?"

"No." he said with a deadpan. The shock on Ayumi's face however was priceless. "We're going to talk about some important family stuff that you wouldn't find very interesting. Since Shinichi-niichan came back to Japan two weeks ago, there's still a lot that needs to be done."

"Do you really enjoy doing boring stuff like that?" a rather large boy asked as he joined them, followed by a skinnier one.

"Boring or not, Conan-kun said it's important." the skinnier boy replied. "There's not much you can do about that, Genta-kun."

"Thanks, Mitsuhiko-kun." Conan smiled. "Sorry that I haven't been around a lot these past two weeks..."

"Just make sure that whatever is so important gets taken care of quickly so we can play again, okay?" Ayumi grinned.

"Will do. See you guys tomorrow!"

Having packed all of his school things during his conversation with the kids, Conan immediately rose from his chair and sprinted out of the school grounds, and towards the Kudo household.

_**xXx**_

Akako, rather than calling up on Lucifer this time, went to the archives instead, and shut the doors behind her while her servant bowed and prepared to leave her be. She immediately went and pulled out a potions book, and flipped through the pages until she found what she wanted: the recipe for a truth serum. And a powerful one at that. She smirked as she read the description- five drops, and the subject would admit anything they were questioned about.

...The only problem: the potion took two months to prepare.

Drat.

Then again, she had the time. As long as she got what she wanted, time never mattered. And more than anything, those answers are what she _really_ wanted.

...Lucifer had repeated several times that He would tell her what she wanted to know when the time was right. Was it such a horrible thing for her to know now instead of later? Was it a crime to try and understand what the Heart was, and why "a stage needed to be prepared" for it? Akako subconsciously raised a hand and held it near her chest. Surely the Heart they were talking about wasn't a human heart? Maybe it was an object, or a spiritual entity that could only be reached by certain people by certain means.

Putting the potions book aside, Akako started looking through other magic books, where hopefully one of them would reveal even the slightest hint as to what the Heart was and why it was so special. After all, there was no way such an important magic-related element (she assumed it was magic-related, otherwise Lucifer wouldn't have mentioned it as often as he already had) could be left out.

She pulled a few books off of the shelves, sat down by the table with them, and started reading.

_**xXx**_

"I'm here!" Conan shouted throughout the manor, letting them know he was present. He had made sure to not scream "I'm home!" instead, because it would be a horrible, horrible mistake if Ran ever decided to randomly visit by following Shinichi (especially since he knew Ran was perfectly capable of a such action).

"Welcome home dear!" Yukiko said brightly as she hugged her shrunken son and snuggled him affectionately. Was there ever a time where Yukiko _didn't_ look like the world was pink and the clouds made of cotton candy?

"Ah, Kazuki! Perfect timing!" Shinichi announced, rushing over to him as Yukiko pulled away to watch. "Hattori and I are arguing about the release day of that new mystery novel, '_Acid Words_'. So, is it on Sunday next week or on Monday?"

"Dude, it's on _Saturday_!" Conan gaped, horror-struck. "I thought the answer couldn't be any more obvious!"

"Well, why don't you just look the date up on internet?" Yukiko suggested. "That way the argument will be settled."

"It ain't that easy..." Heiji sighed. "Th' author decided ta be creative and make th' release day a riddle, so ta get th' book ya have ta solve th' riddle, then call th' author, tell 'im your answer an' your arguments, an' then ya get a special edition of th' book signed by th' author in person on the day of th' book's release."

"And so you're going through all this because you guys want to have the honor of being the ones who got the special edition?" Yukiko teased with an exasperated smirk.

"Personally, I just want the riddle solved so I can finally read the book." Shinichi smiled. "But I wouldn't reject the special edition of the author offered it to me!"

"An' now that we have three different opinions, it ain't helpin' matters really." Heiji added. "Oi, Kudo, what does Hakuba think about this? D'you know?"

Shinichi shook his head and shrugged. "No, I don't, but what's the bet he'll walk up with a fourth opinion?". Heiji and Conan chuckled darkly.

"By the way, did you ask Tou-san for _his_ answer?" Conan asked.

"No, we didn't." Shinichi admitted. "It felt like cheating."

"Oi, the goal is to outsmart the man, not to use him as a deductional escape route." Conan deadpanned. "Come to think of it- Hattori, what are you doing here? I thought you were 'sick' and had to stay at Araide-san's?"

"S'okay," Heiji shrugged "I took a pill an' went back ta normal. Was earlier than I was supposed ta, but there was a bit of an incident that kinda forced me ta take it."

"Actually there were a bunch of burglars that broke in and that saw Hattori's wings when he tried to make them go away." Shinichi explained. "So he called the police, took it while they were knocked unconscious in case the officers asked any questions about it, and came back to school this afternoon while making sure he skipped sports- _with_, of course, Araide-sensei's full consent."

"I'd be more worried if Araide-san _didn't_ let Hattori skip whatever classes he asked for." Conan commented. "I almost wish he could give _me_ consent to skip my classes."

"Oh come on, there's got to be _something_ good about that school- we're going to my room, Kaa-san!" Shinichi announced as the three of them headed upstairs, leaving Yukiko to wave at them with a smile before heading to the kitchen.

"...Aside from the Shonen Tantei-Dan, nothing." Conan sighed. "And honestly, it's kind of sad to think that those three kids make better friends than anyone in high school. Ran excluded, obviously." Conan added, giving Shinichi a dark look. Shinichi blinked in confusion before smiling and showing him the peace sign. Seems like the message got across. "Basically, I spend my time boring myself to death in class, adding two plus two, learning how to write and read hiragana-"

"Is that me, or did he take his cynicism to a whole new level?" Shinichi interrupted, looking at Heiji. The dark-skinned detective shrugged.

"I dunno, maybe it just suddenly became an integrate part a' his personality."

"Nevermind the fact that I can hear you?" Conan pointed out. Shinichi and Heiji stifled a laugh. "What about _you_ guys, how did your day go?"

"We got surprised by a death scream this mornin'," Heiji started. "We were at th' main gates, so we rushed up ta see what happened even though nobody else seemed ta care aside from th' first years."

"Rouya-chan and Jinamai-kun?" Conan guessed.

"Exactly" Shinichi replied. "Most of Rouya-chan's friends were commenting with a laugh how they were starting to get worried about her, because it had been nearly two and a half weeks and she hadn't done anything to Jinamai-kun yet."

"Actually, I'm surprised too" Conan admitted. "We used to hear him scream at least twice a day. I'm sure the second and third years had a good laugh when they heard him this morning."

"Nah, Kuroba won th' round today" Heiji grinned as they pushed past Shinichi's bedroom door and all took seats on the desk chair and the bed. "Turned everyone's pens inta sticks, shredded their work aft' hidin' th' real papers under th' teachers desk, bombed Hakuba with a bottle a' purple hairspray, painted th' board in rainbow colors, an' got chased around th' school by Nakamori with a mop."

"...That's scary." Conan finally said, bearing the mental image of a Ran look-alike running after Kaito with a cleaning tool. "And Suiyami-san didn't budge?"

"Not during his antics" Shinichi explained. "He waited until everything settled down to go to his office and ask for Kaito to meet him there. Hakuba went with him to limit the damage, but in the end I have no idea what they talked about."

"Speakin' a' Suiyami, am I th' only one ta think he's strange?" Heiji wondered, crossing his arms.

"Aside from the fact that he's acting too perfect?" Conan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not really."

"No, I think he's strange too." Shinichi agreed. "There's something off about him."

"Then again, there's somethin' off about all of 'em." Heiji sighed, shaking his head. "Personally, I think he'd make a good pair with that Koizumi-girl."

"Too late for that, I heard he's officially dating Rouya-chan now. The younger one, I mean."

"Kori-chan?" Conan blinked.

"They were seen holding hands when they arrived in class together." Shinichi went on. "Momoi-chan said that she and half the class kind of expected it, but most of the girls are not too happy about it. Especially those fan-club weirdos. They're dead set on letting Rouya-chan have it, but they haven't had the chance to yet because they're too scared to make a move while Suiyami-san is hovering around. Or even her sister. As long as Kori-chan is surrounded by either Arina-chan or Suiyami-san, there's nothing to worry about."

"But Arina-chan's really protective a' her little sister, an' she hates Suiyami...an' she's agreein' ta them bein' together?"

"Arina-chan probably knows that if she says anything against her being with Suiyami-san, the rest of the school will take it as the okay signal to add their own protests. And besides, even if she wants to protect her sister from people that could mean her harm, she's probably trying to face the fact that Suiyami-san will do less harm to her than the psychotic fangirls, and that she can't go entirely against Kori-chan's judgement. If Kori-chan trusts Suiyami-san enough to be with him, Arina-chan has no say in their actions and decisions."

"You sound like a bunch of school girls discussing the latest rumors you know!" came the remark from the other side of the bedroom door. The three boys shot the door a deadpan glare.

"That's Tou-san to you..." Conan grumbled, before pretending nothing happened and turning to the two others again. "Speaking of couples and ignoring Tou-san's comment, any progress between Arina-chan and Jinamai-kun?"

"Any progress between you an' Nee-chan?" Heiji grinned evilly, deserving a glare from Conan and a kick from Shinichi.

"As far as we know, Jinamai-kun's death scream from this morning _is_ a sign of progress." Shinichi stated simply before turning to Heiji with a frown. "And since when do you call her '_Nee-chan_'?"

"I ain't started callin' her that openly yet." Heiji scowled, rubbing his hurting leg. "I dunno, she kinda reminds me of some sort a' motherly figure, but it'd be weird if I went around th' school callin' her _that_, so I decided ta go with Nee-chan instead."

"Nee-chan sounds weird too, if you ask me." Conan replied, before shaking his head with a sigh. "Then again, whatever."

"Oh, by the way!" Shinichi suddenly threw in. "Did you see that article in the newspaper this morning?"

"Oh, ya mean that one?" Heiji asked.

"I don't read the newspaper in the morning, best I can do is steal it off Oji-san's desk when I get back from school." Conan answered.

"Well," Shinichi started "actually it was about..."

_**xXx**_

Her arms were tired, and her eyes heavy. Someone had come to feed her earlier, but she wasn't sure she really cared about it. What time was it? She was sick of sitting there endlessly. She just wanted everything to end.

"I'd heard you got locked up, but who would've known it was the truth?"

She lifted her head slightly, giving the visitor just a short glance, but it was enough to recognise the person and acknowledge their presence. She wished she hadn't, because now she couldn't pretend that person wasn't there.

"...What do you want, Tiffany? Come to snob at me, like you and your _acolytes_ love to do?" she said, emotionless.

The visitor referred as Tiffany smirked. "Maybe I just wanted to get a good look at you behind bars and etch the image forever into my memory. Cages suit you so well."

"Haven't you ever tried getting out of your own cage yet?"

Tiffany laughed. "You're insinuating that _I'm_ in a cage, when _you're_ the one that's cuffed to a metal pipe? Pathetic."

She simply shrugged. "At least _I'm_ aware that I'm wasting my time in a large underground box. I'm not delusional enough to believe that our lives are perfect, and that what we do is for the right people, or even the right cause. But if you and your little friends prefer thinking you're happy as long as you have some food and a litter box-"

"Don't go spouting nonsense when you know nothing about it." Tiffany interrupted, her amber eyes glaring.

"I guess you're right. There's only so much your brain can handle anyway."

Tiffany let out a hiss and pulled out a gun from inside her jacket, taking aim and ready to shoot a hole through-

A firm grip stopped Tiffany from pulling the trigger. Where she expected it to be Redwood randomly showing up, it turned out that, surprisingly, it was actually-

"Don't." his cold voice growled. "That's exactly what she wants."

"I don't need to listen to _you_." Tiffany spat at him. The single blink was the only hint to Gin's surprise. Tiffany didn't insist however and simply walked away, her long tail swatting angrily the air behind her.

There was a long pause.

"...Why are you here?" she asked finally, Tiffany having left and the silver-haired man still standing in front of the metal bars.

He turned to gaze at her, a flash of emotion running through his ocean eyes, too quick for her to analyse. He started at her with a blank face, before turning away and leaving without a word.

She wished he had said something.

Then again, maybe it was better this way.

_**xXx**_

When Conan walked into class the next day, he went to sit at his desk like he always did and pulled out one of the mystery novels he'd grabbed from the shelves in the Kudo manor. Everyone knew that when Conan was reading, you weren't supposed to bother him, and he'd made that very clear after the first few times. Now, Conan could either read his book without being interrupted, or pretend to be reading when he just really wanted to be left alone.

"Ne, Conan-kun?"

Only Ayumi was oblivious to that rule.

"What is it, Ayumi-chan?"

Then again, she was the only one that got away with it.

"What are you doing this evening? Going to see Shinichi-niichan again?"

Conan ignored the death glares Genta and Mitsuhiko were sending him and smiled.

"Actually, I wanted to see Kaito-niichan this time. I thought he would've come yesterday, but it was Heiji-niichan instead."

"Who are Kaito-niichan and Heiji-niichan?" Ayumi blinked.

"Kaito-niichan is Shinichi-niichan's cousin, and Heiji-niichan is one of Shinichi-niichan's best friends. I was surprised to see Heiji-niichan because he was very sick, and the doctor said he would have to stay home for three days." Conan was the one feeling very sick, having to add "niichan" after every name...

"But Heiji-niichan feels better now, right? Since he was with Shinichi-niichan yesterday." Ayumi grinned, before her expression turned into a sad pout. "But Naoki-kun hasn't come back yet...do you think he's still sick?"

"Most likely." Conan replied. From the corner of his eye, Conan saw the teacher enter the classroom. He motioned for Ayumi to sit down and put his book away. The teacher clapped her hands to get the rest of the class' attention and start. Conan was the only one to go ahead and sigh right off the bat.

Ten minutes into the lesson, someone knocked on the classroom door. The teacher stopped and went to look. Being at the back of the room, Conan couldn't see who their unexpected guest was. Instead, he could hear loud sobbing and sniffing.

"Sho...ta..."

"Shota?" the teacher repeated, glancing back at one of the students next to the windows. The boy instead gave the teacher a confused look.

"Sh-Sho...ne...t-ta...te..."

"Shonen Tantei-Dan!" one of the kids at the front then screamed. The teacher stared what Conan assumed to be a little girl before leading her towards the back of the room, where Conan and the three others were gathered. He guessed the girl had nodded to confirm the previous kid's outburst.

"What's wrong?" Mitsuhiko asked worriedly, attempting to calm the girl so she would stop crying. "What happened? Did one of your animals go missing?"

"Did you lose something important?" Genta added.

"Did somebody harass you?" Ayumi chained in.

"Did you guys forget she can speak?" Conan deadpanned. "Let her breathe for a minute, will you?"

The girl, long brown hair and green, square-rimmed glasses that matched her emerald eyes despite them being currently red and puffy from restless crying, pulled out an envelope with handwriting on it. Conan took it while the others- including the teacher and the curious, annoying, unconcerned little classmates- leaned in to see.

"It doesn't have an address..." Conan muttered before opening it. The very first thing that reached them was a strong scent of lemon. Conan blinked for a second before pulling the letter out of it's container. Conan's face turned serious as his eyes flew across the words on the paper, while the rest of them paled as he read it aloud to them:

_I have your son. If you want him back alive, you must pay 1.000.000 yen. You have two days to leave it in a bag at 5pm on a bench in Beika Park. If you contact the police, I will personally make sure your boy never sees the light again._

"Th-The m-money...g-gets h-handed over t-today..." the girl stuttered before starting to wail again.

Conan clenched his fists, his conversation with Shinichi and Heiji fluttering back in his mind.

"..._Well_," Shinichi had started "_actually it was about a series of kidnappings that have been going on for a while now_." Shinichi had turned around and pointed at the computer desk, where the morning newspaper happened to be lazily resting. Heiji grabbed for it and handed it to Shinichi, who then opened it and showed the concerned article to Conan. "_I usually feel less concerned about kidnappings than murders, but apparently they've been getting more frequent recently. For now we only know of two that are related, where the guy sent a ransom notice to the family. One is still missing, the other was found dead, his body drifting towards the open ocean. Nobody knows the guy's face, but if he's started killing kids, then things are getting serious_." Shinichi's face twisted into a serious expression, frown deepening, as his cerulean contacts locked with Conan's cerulean eyes. "_Kazuki, I know you're a teen in your head and that those who know Edogawa Conan are aware of how smart you are, but to the rest of the world you're nothing but a regular kid. And honestly, I'm more worried about this guy getting to you than a random member of the Dark Ring... As your pseudo-brother, please...be careful_."

Conan gritted his teeth, a drop of sweat rolling down from his forehead to his cheek. Not only did the family probably not have enough money to pay the kidnapper, but this guy was really dangerous and would not hesitate to kill. Worse, they had less than a day left.

This was bad.

_Damn...I hope you're alright, Naoki...!_

_

* * *

_

**I'm missing 500 words or so, but I don't care. I FINALLY HAVE A SPELLING PROGRAM! Though most of the red lines were because of the names and the Japanese words...oh, and Heiji's dialect XD But at least it means I can see if I made any typos. (You can't believe how happy I am. Honest XD) **

**About the scene in the Kudo household: Actually, I did some research on how the Japanese name the days of the week for the entire book-release-date-thing...before deciding that my entire scheme sucked big time and that the detectives were smarter than how I was about to write them. Not that the info really matters anymore, but sometimes it's nice to know random things you'll probably never have to use in your life again, so here's the link:**

_http:// www. cjvlang. com/ Dow/ dowjpn. html_

**And don't you **_**dare**_** compare this to maths, because I know that "**_**f(x) **_**= 3x²+5x+14" is not something the average fanfic reader will ever need to use again, contrary to the above link that will tell you how to say "Monday" if you ever want to go to Japan XD

* * *

**

**Nequam-tenshi**: I never really thought of what exactly Redwood does, but he's definitely not in the labs. He's more of a field person. And really, what would a DC fic be without Shiho/Ai? =D

**Marie Ravenclaw**: *pats* I hope your ankle is better by the time this update gets posted...And the omake idea is all your fault 3

**Animegirl1987**: I'll have the lives of the others coming up soon (*ahem*) too x3 I didn't make him look Kaito-ish on purpose, but I didn't want to change it. Besides, I can imagine Heiji bouncing around better than I imagine Saguru doing it... Okay, now you just made gave me very strange mental imagine XDDD Can't wait to see your art, and I'll hopefully have some of my own up somewhere someday...XD Enjoy college while you're still there, because trust me, if you think school is horrible, I'll have you know that a year of nothing is as boring as life can get. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wanna go back to school XD

**A Smiling Cat**: Well, I tried to make the burglars' reactions realistic. Not everyone in the world is understanding and supportive, and even if I can say that I'd help them out if the boys were real I can't predict what I'd do the moment it really happens. I dunno if I'd go and scream for the world to kill them, but I'd definitely be freaked. And Akako won't be letting go until she figures out what she wants to know x3

**MidnightSushiNinja**: Well, I suggest you listen to music, or come up with some random idea based off a "What If" question, and let it develop from there. Sometimes you get the weirdest results, but as long as you go with it, you can consider it an idea. Worst case you just inspire yourself from a fic already written by another author. And no, I'm not in school, which may be the very reason why I'm so slow: instead of writing to run away from school rants, I'm using DS games to run away from writing. How stupid is that? XD Anyway, I hope you tell me when you change your username so I can still tell who you are XD

**1412 Karasu**: I figured that fish would be enough to give a kid ichytophobia. The original name I gave to Kaito was Raven, but later changed it into Magpie because it suited him much better for various reasons, so I guess you got confused because I missed a few. I'll check it out again. Ace Attorney is a games series mostly played on Nintendo DS, so far there were five games: three where you play as Phoenix Wright, one as Apollo Justice and the most recent one as Miles Edgeworth. The "nicknames" used between Heiji and Saguru are basically insults. Heiji calls Saguru "Baka-taka", which means "stupid hawk", and Saguru refers to Heiji as "Suzume-nou", which means "sparrow brain". Any other questions? =3


	23. Ch22: The Other Victim

**A bit late, but hey, at least it's up XD**

_Chapter 22: The Other Victim_

"How did you get this letter?"

"We found it in the mailbox…"

"So you're related to Naoki-kun?"

"I'm his little sister…he's one year older."

"When did he go missing?"

"Sunday afternoon…Naoki-niichan likes to go to the convenience store two minutes away from the house and buy whatever Kaa-chan put on the list. When he didn't come back, Kaa-chan went to ask the cashier lady where Naoki-niichan went. Apparently he never showed up. And when Kaa-chan came home to call the police, she found the letter in the mailbox…Please, you need to find Naoki-niichan before the evil man kills him!"

Easier said than done, even though Conan knew he'd obviously give his best to find his missing seatmate.

Conan had asked for permission to leave the classroom and be absent from the lesson while he talked to the girl- Asuka- about the kidnapping, dragging the three others along as well and all of them getting a private room of their own to discuss Naoki's disappearance. It was currently half past ten in the morning, Asuka had finally calmed down enough to form a coherent sentence without sobbing dramatically (her eyes were still extremely red and puffy though, had Ran been around she would've probably come up with something to fix that, Conan knew, but sadly Ran was anywhere but near them) and now Conan was asking questions in hopes of getting at least the basic information.

The problem with finding Naoki was that they had absolutely nothing to start the search with. And they couldn't talk to the police because…well, the reason was obvious and Conan didn't want to think about it.

They had a little less than seven hours to figure out where Naoki was, and how to save him.

"If we plan on finding Naoki-kun, we need to investigate. And to investigate, we need to leave the school." Mitsuhiko declared, getting off his chair. "We won't gain anything by staying here. But…"

"But we have to ask the Principal, right?" Ayumi asked worriedly. "Do you think he'll let us?"

"One of our classmates' lives is at stake, of course he will!" Genta replied confidently.

"That old man is so laid back I wouldn't be surprised if he agreed even for a less important reason…" Conan muttered to himself. Agreeing with the kids that staying clustered in the room wasn't going to help, Conan trotted up to the school director with the four others tagging along behind him, explained the situation, asked for permission, and walked out of the school grounds.

"That was oddly easy." Mitsuhiko remarked, still blinking a little. _Yeah, well, the director was like that even ten years ago already, when Ran and I were still in school here…_

"Well, now that we're out here…where do we start?" Ayumi sighed.

"Asuka-chan, do you mind taking us to the convenience store Naoki-kun was supposed to go to?" Conan asked, turning to the girl. Asuka simply nodded before leading the way.

_**xXx**_

As the gang trotted up to the convenience store, Conan came to a halt and scanned the place. There wasn't really that much to be said about it- it was pretty much just your average convenience store, even if a little smaller.

"Man, looking at a convenience store makes me hungry." Genta commented, holding bacn a sigh.

"You're _always_ hungry." Mitsuhiko replied. "Isn't there a moment where you can think of something other than food?"

"Yeah, when I'm playing video games!"

"Ne, Conan-kun, we're going to question the cashier lady first, right?" Ayumi asked, her eyes sparkling slightly.

"Yeah, but if she's not working right now it might be a little more complicated..." Conan replied, still inspecting the outlines of the shop with his eyes.

"Let's find out, then," Genta suggested with a grin, leading the way during the two meters that separated them from the door. After that, they let Asuka at the front of the group, even though they could cleary see that whoever was taking take of the shop was _not_ a lady.

"Excuse me, but do you know where Takeshita-san is?" Asuka asked politely, looking up at the cashier man.

"Eh? Ah, sure, she's in her home right now," the man replied, a little confused.

"Do you know when she'll be here?"

"I'm here until four this afternoon, so I think her shift comes right then..."

"Oh no!" Ayumi gasped. "We can't wait that long!"

"Well, if it's something important, you can just go and visit her, I'm sure she won't mind," the man smiled, before pointing outside. "See the building right there? You take the stairs up to the fifth floor, and then you just knock. I'm sure she'll let you in."

"Thank you very much, sir!" Asuka bowed, before the group ran over to the small apartment building the man had pointed to. It meant going around the crossroad and waiting five minutes before they could overcome both streets, but they could still afford it. It would've been a bigger problem if they had only hour left. _Thank goodness Asuka-chan came and called us before the last minute..._ Conan thought to himself.

The five elementary students climbed the stairs up to the fifth floor as the cashier man had suggested. They knocked on the door and waited for someone to open. Their wish was granted almost immediately as the person on the other side simply shouted "Come on in!" Following Conan's example as he opened the door and slipped past, they all slowly started taking their shoes off.

"Oh, it's a bunch of children! Don't bother taking them off, the house is a mess anyway!" the lady smiled as her head poked into the hallway. "I was expecting someone else...but then again, I did think it was a bit early for them to show up."

"Hello, Takeshita-san!" Asuka smiled.

"Oh, Asuka-chan! Shouldn't you be in school? Why are you here? Are those kids your friends?"

Conan held back a scowl and pretended like nothing was wrong. He still hated it as much as he did the first time, but he was started to get used to being called a kid. Not that he was supposed to let people know he was actually a teenager...

"Actually, we're here to ask you some questions about when Naoki-kun was kidnapped," Mitsuhiko explained. "The man that works at the convenience store right now told us we could find you here."

"Oh, you mean Adachi-san? We work in the same shop, but he's also my neighbor. He lives right under here, you know. Would you like something to drink? I'll answer all the questions you want."

"I'll have a soda!" Genta volunteered immediately.

"Me too!" Ayumi smiled.

"I'll just have some fruit juice," Asuka grinned.

Conan went to inspect the rooms while Mitsuhiko asked for regular water. Neverminding Takeshita and the kids, he looked around the place, absently paying attention to the questions being asked (Mitsuhiko's were smart, Ayumi's mroe or less good, and Genta's just plain stupid) while Asuka quietly listened and watched.

First thing that crossed Conan's mind was the fact that Takeshita mentioned how messy the house was. But honestly, the entire mess scattered through the entire apartment added up to half of what could usually be seen on Kogoro's desk. Secondly...there was a kid's room. One would normally think that the kid in question was probably at school, but from what Conan could tell nobody had walked into the room for at least over two weeks. Either the kid was on an unlikely vacation trip, or...

The bespectacled boy walked back into the kitchen room, looking up at the lady.

"Ne, Takeshita-san...about the blue bedroom..."

She blinked at him, surprised, before smiling sadly. "Yes...my son, Mamoru, was kidnapped three weeks ago."

"Eh? Is that true?" Ayumi exclaimed. Takeshita nodded.

"I haven't gotten any ransom demands, nor has Mamoru been found at any given point in time, so I really...don't know what to do."

"We'll find him too," Conan promised. "As long as it's not too late, we can still find and save him."

"But you're just a bunch of kids," Takeshita blinked. "There's nothing you can do without the police's help, and I'm afraid to ask."

"What do you mean, we're just a bunch of kids?" Genta protested. "Didn't you know? We're the Shonen Tantei-Dan! Helping people is what we're here for!"

"Yes...and getting criminals behind bars is our job," Conan smirked. Takeshita stared at them a little longer before smiling.

"Thank you, Shonen Tantei."

_**xXx**_

One in the afternoon, four hours left to go, and Conan was at the Maruya household searching through Naoki's room. They'd been at it for an hour now after searching the rest of the house for clues as well. If Asuka was starting to get anxious, she didn't show anything of it, and instead continued to watch the Shonen Tantei work with what seemed like undying patience and trust in her gaze.

"Pff, we've turned the entire house upside down and found nothing!" Genta complained. "And besides, I'm hungry."

"You can eat later, Genta-kun, we have to find Naoki-kun and Mamoru-kun first," Mitsuhiko sighed with a hint of scolding.

"But what tells us that Naoki-kun and Mamoru-kun have been taken by the same kidnapper?" Ayumi asked.

"I don't know if it counts, but I think I know what the connection would be," Conan replied. As the three others turned to watch him, Conan grabbed one of the many books in Naoki's room and found a map of the area. He put the book open flat on the desk for the others to see as they huddled up around him. "Look, right now, we are here," he explained, pointing at a specific dot on the map. "The convienience store is here, and this is where the Takeshita family lives. And right here is the river. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

"No, not really," Genta admitted.

"All these points are within a certain range, meaning that the kidnapper mostly focuses his attention on the area around here," Conan continued, tracing an imaginary circle. "I also think that Naoki-kun and Mamoru-kun are probably being kept in the very same area."

"But what does the river have to do with anything?" Mitsuhiko pointed out.

"I was talking with Shinichi-niichan yesterday," Conan answered, wincing internally, "and we discussed a boy that had been kidnapped not too long ago and that was found drifting towards the ocean. They say he was killed before being tossed into the river." He paused, the other three gasping in shock, before continuing. "Considering that the kidnapper probably wouldn't drive through the entire city just to dump the body in the river, since there are plenty other ways to get rid of a body, Shinichi-niichan came to the conclusion that the kidnapper must live near the river, or at least keeps the kids hostage in a nearby area."

"Oh, I see!" Ayumi said. "And so with Mamoru-kun's home being in the same area, it's probably the same kidnapper in this case too!"

"But Conan-kun," Mitsuhiko interjected, "if that really is the case...could it be that Mamoru-kun is already...?"

"I don't know for sure," Conan replied as he shook his head, "but I think he's alive. Otherwise, the kidnapper would've thrown the body away by now, and somebody else would've found it." The others beamed up at him as he gave them new hope, and he smiled back. "So, let's go over what Takeshita-san said when you asked her some questions."

"Okay!"

_**xXx**_

Eyes closed, he tried to focus and keep unwanted images out of his mind. To be all-knowing wasn't exactly easy on the mind, and not something he would suggest to the other people in the world that sought a such unlimited knowledge. And he was tired, so rather than making himself vulnerable by resting and letting everything flow to him, he preferred to simply try and concentrate on something else. It was tiring too, but not nearly as much as being overwhelmed.

Fiddling with the small garnet gem in his pocket, he tried to visualise the round wooden board with the black carvings in all of it's details, along with a set of ten pawns all placed accordingly. The six white pawns in the star tips, and the four black pawns in the crosses beside each tip, leaving the top and bottom pawns without a partner. The black pawn with the white head was a blurr of mist, almost as if it didn't exist despite being on the board, while the black pawn with the black head simply hovered around the board. There was no sign of the white-headed one materialising any time soon, and the black-headed seemed to be slowly closing in on the board. _Ah, it seems that _that_ person will be coming soon...It's only a matter of time now_.

Opening his eyes again and absently taking in his current surroundings, he wondered how things were going in the Dark Ring. Between the chaos that had followed after the liberating of the four Fledglings and the emergency formation to try and retrieve those precious test subjects, Redwood and Maple had already been marked as potential traitors, and he knew that Redwood wasn't done _quite_ yet. With just one more person to save, how was this brave, loving man going to deal with the situation without getting himself killed?

_**xXx**_

The bell rang for break time, and the first thing that happened after Shinichi stretched was to get a phone call. He blinked and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"_It's me, I need to talk to you_."

"K-Kazuki?" Shinichi half-spluttered in surprise, making Ran and Sonoko turn to look at him. Shinichi immediately reacted to cover up and frowned, growling "Well sorry, but I'm not Kazuki, you've got the wrong person!" into the receiver before hanging up. Shinichi then rose from his seat, muttered grumpily that he was going to use the bathroom, and left the classroom.

Having run down the hall, he pushed past the bathroom door and faded into one of the corners, dialling up and putting the phone by his ear. It rang a couple times before picking up.

"Sorry, Ran was next to me." he apologized before Conan could comment. "So, what's up?"

"_One of my classmates was kidnapped by that guy you just warned me about last night_. _The culprit demanded a ransom from the family that be dropped at Beika Park at five this afternoon, and if the police gets involved in any way he'll blast the kid's head off._" Shinichi swore under his breath, making Conan pause. "_We've got two hours left, and so far we've more or less figured out in which area to look, but "more or less" isn't "exactly" and therefore not good enough. Any ideas?_"

Shinichi remained silent as he thought for a while. If he thought about it for too long however, not only would Ran and Sonoko start wondering where he went, but the break would also be over by the time he got back to his class.

"To be honest, none," Shinichi admitted with a sigh. "I would probably be of bigger help if could be with you."

"_That's just how it is, there's nothing you can do about it_."

"I guessed as much. Listen, if you figure anything-"

"Kudo-san, you do know that you shouldn't be on the phone in the school buildings, don't you?" came Felix' cold voice, interrupting Shinichi and making the detective look up.

"Sorry for breaking school rules Suiyami-san," Shinichi apologized quickly "but it's important-"

"I'll let you off this time, try not to do it again." Felix interrupted again, apparently deciding that it was the first time and that he didn't want to hear any excuses anyway. Hey, did his eyes unfocus for a split second there like he was about to faint? Wait, nevermind. "By the way, Kudo-san, I found a package in my office this morning. I gave myself permission to open it and see what it was, and apparently it's a signed copy of a novel called '_Acid Words_'."

Shinichi's eyes widened in shock. "Say _what_?"

"A signed copy of '_Acid Words_'. Dedicated to '_the Brilliant Minds of Teitan High, for figuring out the solution to my Wednesday riddle_'. Assuming he's talking about detectives, you're the first person that came to my mind."

"But...but, uh..."

"You can come and pick it up later. Hurry and hang up as soon as you're finished, and get back to class immediately after."

"Ah, r-right. Thank you, Suiyami-san."

Felix left Shinichi alone in the bathroom, phone still hanging from his hand, as he stared at the door in shock. He could already hear his mind asking "_What happened?_" several times over.

"..._Oi! Shinichi! Are you going to answer me or what?_"

"Wha- Oh! Oh, sorry, but Suiyami-san just walked in and found me on the phone."

"..._Oh. Well, I'm assuming he let you off, otherwise he'd have conficated your phone by now_."

"Yeah, I guess so. He also told me to go to his office and pick up the signed copy of 'Acid Words' that arrived this morning."

"_Huh?_"

"Yeah! And apparently the solution was 'Wednesday'. Come to think of it, it does make sense when you take the riddle on backwards, doesn't it?"

"_Guess so. Anyway, I'll let you go back to class now, I'll call you later again to tell you what happened. See ya!_"

Shinichi pulled the phone away from his ear as it started beeping annoyingly and shut it, stuffing it back in his pocket and heading back to class.

_I hope Kazuki's going to be alright. He's going up after a dangerous kidnapper after all, and being in the body of a seven year old doesn't exactly...wait a second, didn't he say "I'll tell you what happened?"_

_**xXx**_

_Of course! Why didn't I think of it earlier? _Conan thought as he hung up, and dialled a new number quickly. It rang a couple times before picking up on the other side.

"Hakase, could you come by with what I'm going to ask you?" Conan said into the phone, not giving the professor time to speak before him.

"_I'm sure I could, Kazuki-kun_," Agasa replied, obviously starting to get used to strange calls from the shruken detective "_but what do you need it for?_"

Conan smirked as a ray of sunlight bounced off his fake glasses.

"Because I found a way to find Naoki-kun."

**Between internet crashes, fighting with a Pokemon video for Arkeis, trying to catch up on reading One Piece, finally knowing that I got accepted into Psychology university, and other various random crap, I forgot to do this and am therefore a bit late. I'm actually surprised I managed to get this whole thing down in the first place! And honestly, I think I'm one of the rare people that knows the true value of "taking your time", but how I came to **_**that**_** conclusion would take too much time to explain.**

**A Smiling Cat**: I think it's sad how a lot of people hate the Shonen Tantei kids (especially Genta) but hey, everyone has their own tastes I guess =( I really like Ayumi for her innocence, and Mitsuhiko is rather smart for his age (even if it can't compare to Shinichi's XD). I thought a riddle where all their opinions are different would be interesting, except that I didn't write the riddle itself because the one I had in mind was so horribly crappy that I gave up XD And I realised half way through their banter that they were acting like teenage girls, so I let Yuusaku pop in a comment. The only reason why Shinichi and Conan don't like the idea of Heiji calling Ran "Nee-chan" is because...they're Shinichi and Conan XD

**Animegirl1987**: Forsenics...the best I can think of to relate to in my mind is Ema Skye from the Ace Attorney series, but it's probably different XD The long random banter in the middle and the Org scene were mostly to take up writing space because I already knew that I wanted the chapter to end with them discovering that Naoki was kidnapped, instead of making the full chapter about Naoki being kidnapped in the beginning and the Shonen Tantei spending the rest of the chapter looking for clues, so yeah XD Can't wait to see your art (as I've probably already said), and might come up with my own at some point...I have a funny one in mind with all the boys (the four Fledglings plus the OCs) in leather clothes XD I'll try and keep the story as interesting as possible.

**Nequam-tenshi**: It is.

**Marie Ravenclaw**: Yes, you responsible for omake. You're the one that dropped the seeds in my mind by saying "Lucy-chan", so there you have it. You're welcome and glad you liked it XD I don't like arguing about religion either, even if I don't have any particular beliefs. Instead, I just sorta mix 'em up and see what I can learn out of all of them. As for politics...heck I don't know anything about it to begin with XD

**Mangaluva**: Like I said, I'd best not tempt the religious freaks XD I do my best with all the enigmatic stuff and sometimes feel like it could be better, but oh well. And just because Shinichi and Kazuki are supposed to "hate each other" doesn't mean they really do. And since Kazuki is currently stuck as Conan, they can cheat XD The side-fic/sub-chapter being an integrate part of the story, there's nothing wrong with making a reference to it. It's just out of the official scroll because not everyone is interested in OC-centered parts XD

**Madame of all Manga**: I just think that the phobia list is one of his charming points as a character. To me, a good character is one with a certain aspect that sticks out and makes them unique (except in "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei", where being normal just makes you stick out just as much). And once again, I get surprised that people still actually come across that vid XD Well, the previous case was pretty easy since I'm not really made for coming up with cool crimes and whatnot and don't have a very wide knowledge of obscure things that would probably help in this kind of thing...after all, I'm not Gosho Aoyama XD

**MidnightSushiNinja**: Nevermind late reviewing, I was more worried about late updating ._.' I was so obsessed with getting back into One Piece again that I completely left writing out. And submitting my Pokemon video to Arkeis. And being admitted into Psychology school. Oh happy me, even though everything is going to be hell from now on XD


	24. Ch23: Acid Words

**I wanted to replace the previous chapters with an updated version (as in, correcting mistakes, replacing Izumi by Chikage even if I absolutely hate the new name...) but it's 2am here so I won't bother with that right now and just put this up instead...XD**

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_Chapter 23: Acid Words_

"You found a way to find Naoki-niichan? Really?" Asuka asked, starting to look happy.

"Yeah," Conan nodded with a smile. "Agasa-hakase will be here in a few minutes, I asked him to bring something that will help us. Can I ask you something, Asuka-chan?"

"Sure!"

"How come you've been so quiet during the entire investigation?" Conan wondered. Asuka leaned her head to the side like a curious animal and blinked, obviously waiting for Conan to explain his question. "You were so upset this morning that you could hardly say what the problem was, and ever since we left the school you almost haven't said anything..."

"Shiruba-san said it's very very bad to interrupt others when they're working," Asuka replied. "You don't say anything to them, you stay far away enough that you don't bother them, and you only answer when they ask you questions. He says that I'm a good girl and that if I keep it up maybe I can work with them some day. And I'm really looking forward to it, so I do my best!" she grinned happily.

"Who's Shiruba-san?"

"One of Tou-san's friends, they work together a lot."

"What kind of job do they do?"

"They make sure bad people get what they deserve."

"Ah, I see." _Sounds like policemen to me._ "That's a nice job. I hope you get what you want."

"Yeah!"

Mitsuhiko walked into the room two minutes later to tell them Agasa had arrived. They followed him out, where Agasa stood and waited by beloved car. The scientist leaned over to hand a container of dark, purple-bluish liquid to Conan. The bespectacled boy smirked.

"Thanks, this is perfect," he said before running back into the house with this new material. It took them a while to catch up to him, and by the time the confused group arrived in the kitchen Conan had already laid out the ransom letter on the table and was filling a large silver platter with the strange juice.

"Conan, what are you doing?" Ayumi asked, watching the overly-smart boy close the container again.

"What Agasa-hakase brought is red cabbage juice," Conan replied, turning to them.

"Red cabbage? But I thought we were looking for Naoki-kun, not getting ready to have food!" Genta blinked.

"Red cabbage juice is also used as a pH indicator," Mitsuhiko explained, seemingly catching on. "Scientists use it to measure how acid a certain chemical is. Knowing the pH of certain products is also necessary in households, depending on it they could be very dangerous for the skin."

"That's right," Conan nodded, giving Mitsuhiko a congratulating smile.

"But what does Conan-kun need to measure the...um...why does he need to measure how acid the paper is?" Ayumi wondered.

"I don't need the juice to measure anything," Conan smirked.

Mitsuhiko blinked. "If you don't need to measure anything, what do you need the juice for?"

"Mitsuhiko-kun, in order to be able to measure the pH of a certain chemical, what is the red cabbage juice supposed to do?"

"It changes color," he replied almost immediately, before the solution dawned on him. "Conan-kun, the paper isn't just lemon-scented, isn't it? It's actually got lemon juice painted on there!"

"Exactly," Conan smirked, before dropping the paper flat-out into the juice-filled platter. He made it sink by pressing it in the corners and letting it soak for a minute before pulling it back out.

"The paper became purple!" Asuka half-gasped, half-cheered, pointing at the dripping object. Conan placed the paper on a plate he'd pulled out earlier for it to dry a little.

"Or else it'll rip," he explained. The moment the paper was dry enough that Conan could pick it up without it threatening to tear itself into pieces at the slightest wrong movement, he grabbed it and held it in a way that everyone could see. "So, what do you see?"

"A purple paper and some red lines everywhere," Genta answered. "But how does that help us?"

"The red lines are Naoki-kun's doing," Conan replied. "They're the lemon juice that dried onto the paper after Naoki-kun drew them. Thanks to the red cabbage juice that changes into a red color when it comes into contact with something as acid as lemon juice, we can see what Naoki-kun wanted to show us..."

"...And Naoki-niichan probably wanted to show us where he's being held!" Asuka concluded happily. Now that they were close to figuring out her brother's location, she was starting to brighten up and speak up a little more. Even if she clapsed her hands over her mouth after.

"But...I can't tell what it is..." Mitsuhiko muttered, slightly downhearted.

"A building?" Genta suggested. "One with a sign over it...I can't read it."

"It's just another line to show that it's a sign, there's no actual words there," Conan reassured.

"Hey, isn't that the convenience store?" Ayumi blinked. The kids all leaned in to take a closer look.

"Hey, you're right!" Mitsuhiko smiled. "Good going, Ayumi-chan!"

"All head back to the convenience store!" Genta ordered. They heard Agasa shout "_Hey wait!_" behind them as they all began running down the street and arrived a minute later in front of the shop. It took ten seconds for Agasa to catch up with them, panting. By then, Conan was already scanning the area.

"Wh-Where's Genta-kun?" Agasa asked.

"The guy said it's abandoned and going to be ripped down in two days, we can go in!" Genta shouted, rushing out of the shop's automatic doors. Conan nodded, and they raced towards the building on the opposite side of the street.

Six flights upwards, and the kids made sure to check their surroundings before walking into every next room. _Never underestimate an enemy_, was what Conan always told the kids. He repeated it to himself a lot too, especially ever since he became a kid again himself. The whole place was dark and gloomy, with the outisde as their only source of light, so they had to be extra careful not to be surprised by someone leaping out and attacking them.

Ten minutes spent and went, and they'd found nothing. Conan grabbed the hint Naoki had left them and compared the picture to what he could see of the convenience store outside.

"We're too high," Conan informed. "We need to go down." The next ten minutes had been the same for the floor under them, and again for the floor underneath.

Forty minutes in total inside of the building. The air wasn't exactly healthy in there either with all the dust flying around. Ayumi and Asuka were starting to cough.

"Conan-kun, did we do something wrong in our investigation?" Ayumi asked. "Did we think wrong? Do we have to start over?"

"Naoki-kun and Mamoru-kun should be in this room..." Conan muttered, frowning at the purple paper he could barely see. "They should've at the very least been on this floor...why aren't they here? Could it be that they've moved during the three days Naoki-kun has been missing? No, they don't look like they've been here to begin with..."

"Conan-kun, it's getting hard to breathe," Mitsuhiko said quietly, his voice a little rough.

"They _couldn't_ have been here," Conan continued, speaking a little more clearly so the others could hear him too. "The air here is too dusty and too difficult to breathe, they wouldn't have lasted two hours in here, much less two days."

"So we _are_ wrong?" Ayumi squeaked.

"We're missing something," Conan said, his voice starting to feel a little rough as well. "We've _got _to be missing something. We came racing here thinking that the convenience store across the street is the only one in the area, but what if there's a second one?"

"No, there's only that one around here," Asuka coughed.

"Conan-kun, we need to get the kids out of here," Agasa declared. Conan hesitated as he stared at the paper before finally looking up at the professor and nodding.

_**xXx**_

Shinichi tapped nervously against his notes with his pencil, using the eraser-side so he didn't make too much noise and annoy his diligent classmates. His seat-mate already seemed relatively ticked, but didn't say anything. It didn't necessarily take a detective to notice that he felt a little uneasy.

He waited for the teacher to turn her back on the students and write something down on the chalkboard to quickly and silently slip his cellphone from his sleeve into his receiving palm and check for any text messages Kazuki may have sent. It had been a little less than an hour since he'd called and said that he'd keep him updated on events... He knew he shouldn't worry as much as he was, but he couldn't help but think "_If anything happened to him, how would I explain it to Ran...?_" She held both Conan and Kazuki dear, and if anything were to go wrong, she'd lose two close friends in one strike. And he'd lose someone close to him too.

Shinichi couldn't help but smirk slightly. To think that he'd already gotten attached to him that much in such a short time...A month and a half almost felt like nothing it that view.

"Kudo-kun, what are you looking at?" the teacher asked, making him look up and hide his phone back in his sleeve with a flick of the wrist. "Some love-message you got on the phone you hid?"

The rest of the class snickered at the comment, except for Ran who looked a little worried.

"No, Kubota-sensei," Shinichi smiled. "I was just thinking about a new trick my cousin Kaito taught me. If you want, I can pull it out of my sleeve?"

"I would rather not," the teacher replied darkly, turning her back on him and deciding that tempting the blue-eyed detective was not a good idea. He grinned proudly at himself before giving Ran a reassuring wink. She smiled and turned back on her seat to look at the board again.

Shinichi held back a sigh and started to hope for Kazuki's safety again...

_**xXx**_

"What is it that we're missing...?" Conan muttered to himself through gritted teeth, staring so intensely at the paper he would've burned holes in it by now had he had super powers.

"Conan-kun, please calm down!" Ayumi pleaded. "Maybe it'll help you think better if you're calm..."

Conan wasn't in the mood for it, but, just to make her happy, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes again to find the girl smiling at him.

"I'll ask Takeshita-san for a drink. What would you like?"

"But I don't want..." he started, drifting off before shaking his head. "Fine, if you're getting stuff for everyone then I'll have some orange juice."

"Alrighty! What about you, Mitsuhiko-kun?"

Conan tuned out the others and started focusing on the paper again. Ayumi had been right, even that single deep breath _had_ been refreshing and calming, and his mind seemed a little clearer now. Panicking wouldn't have helped even if they had had more than the forty-five minutes they had left.

...No, no matter how much he thought about it, there was definitely something missing. Something they hadn't seen, or something they hadn't thought of doing. What _was_ it they still needed? Where was their last clue hidden, what was the last step before their ultimate breakthrough?

"...Conan-kun, are you listening?" Ayumi asked, waving a hand in front of his face. Conan blinked up at her.

"O-Oh, sorry Ayumi-chan! I was thinking..." he smiled sheepishly, accepting the orange juice she was handing him and opening the cap. "...huh? What's with the label?"

"Takeshita-san said that that's the specialty of the makers of those bottles," Ayumi said brightly. "They print everything backwards!"

Click.

_Come to think of it, it does make sense when you take the riddle on backwards, doesn't it?_

"...Ayumi-chan, you just gave me an idea," Conan announced, standing up and rushing to the bathroom in the back of the shop. He hopped up onto the sink and gazed for a short moment at his reflection- the face that wasn't really his own- and lifted the paper up to look at the drawing _this_ time.

Of course, thanks to the mirror, everything was reversed.

And the drawing gave them a new area to search.

Conan hopped back down and rushed over to the gang, smirking, and explained his new find. Each of them nodded and followed him over to the next building.

The apartment building where Takeshita lived.

Climbing the stairs up to the fourth floor, the kids stopped at the door and braced themselves in case they had to defend their lives. Conan knocked, and they waited. He was pretty sure the others' hearts were racing like hell, but every time he thought about how he didn't know whether they were a remarkable example of bravery or just plain stupid, he couldn't help but smile to himself.

The door opened, revealing Adachi's surprised face.

"Oh, it's you kids from this morning! ...Is there something you want?"

"Actually, we just need you to confess to your crimes," Mitsuhiko declared in a clear voice. He was definitely putting an effort into not stepping down.

"We followed the clues, and they all lead to this place!" Ayumi continued, just as determined as Mitsuhiko.

"Because we're the Shonen Tantei-Dan!" How Genta's logic managed to fit that part in the conversation, Conan would never know.

"Give it up, Adachi-san," Conan finished with a smirk. "We know you have Naoki-kun and Mamoru-kun in there."

Facing the small group of five- Asuka hadn't bothered to say anything, she was just fine glaring at the man- Adachi visibly paled.

"Wha- What are you talking about?" he stuttered. "There's-"

"Conan-kun, wait!"

Conan and the four others blinked at the voice, and saw at the other end of the room a boy standing, his fists clenched and his gaze firm. Adachi spun around to look at him as well.

"Naoki-kun?" Conan said, a little disbelievingly.

"Conan-kun, listen to me: Adachi-san isn't a bad person," Naoki claimed clearly. Before he could explain anything however, Asuka pushed past the miniature detectives and threw herself in her brother's arms.

"Naoki-niichaaan!" she sobbed. Naoki smiled and started to speak to her in a soothing tone.

"So, you're the Shonen Tantei-Dan Naoki-kun told us about?" another boy asked, walking into the room as well.

"And you must be Takeshita Mamoru, right?" Conan guessed.

"Wrong," the boy replied acidly. The Shonen Tantei blinked, surprised. "My name is Yamamoto Ichiro, and that Takeshita hag..._she's_ the real kidnapper!"

"Are you serious?" Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta shouted at the same time. Conan just stared.

"But...Mamoru-bo-"

"Adachi, we've been waiting for someone to help us, and help is right in front of us, so we might as well tell them everything. The police won't believe us if we just show up and spill our story, so we have to find evidence to prove that Takeshita is the evil witch behind everything."

"...I understand."

"What's going on?" Conan asked, making the question official.

"Three weeks ago, I was kidnapped by that Takeshita monster," the boy that introduced himself as Ichiro started. "She dragged me to the floor above- her apartment- and kept me there after sending a ransom letter. Her son, Shoichi, was only two years younger than me. Takeshita introduced me as his new brother, but Shoichi was smart and knew that what Takeshita was doing was bad, so he tried to force her to send me back to my family. It ended up as a fight, and before I knew it she'd slammed Shoichi's head into a desk." Ichiro stared down to the floor and shivered. "It...it was horrible. There was blood everywhere...and Shoichi wasn't moving anymore...He- He was only five years old, and he..." Ichiro took a deep breath and shook his head. "I first thought that Takeshita would turn herself in after she'd accidentally murdered her own son, but instead she went and reported a kidnapping to the police before dumping Shoichi into the river."

"But that's...that's a horrible thing to do!" Ayumi cried, her eyes almost ready to unleash a few tears. "And Takeshita-san looked like such a nice person, why would she do that?"

"A week after I got kidnapped, I managed to escape here," Ichiro continued. "Adachi is our family butler and has lived here for the past ten years. As for his employment at the convenience store, that was my idea. We called my family to tell them I was fine and that I would stay here until we caught Takeshita and put her behind bars- not for kidnapping, but for murder. Adachi was to act as a new employee in the shop and watch Takeshita. That's also how we knew she was aiming to kidnap Naoki-kun and ask for a ransom for him as well."

"They saved me," Naoki smiled, still hugging his sister. "And so now I'm trying to help them get proof of Takeshita's crimes."

"But you didn't tell your parents that you were safe?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"I did, but I guess Asuka-chan didn't know...I'm sorry you got worried."

"That's okay, Naoki-niichan, at least you're safe!" Asuka smiled.

"So...considering you managed to find us, you must be really good," Ichiro smirked. "Care to help us prove Takeshita guilty?"

_**xXx**_

"..._And so, thanks to the all-powerful luminol, we managed to arrest a murderer and return Naoki-kun and Ichigo-kun to their families_," Conan finished.

"Geez, sounds like you guys sure had some fun today!" Kaito grinned. "To think that you did all that while poor Aniki was worried off his ass..."

"_Thanks Kaito, but that comment was not exactly necessary_," came the deadpan reply from Shinichi, who was on the other end of the phone beside Conan.

"But of course it was!" Kaito gasped. "How can you not understand the importance of brotherly love and the protection he has to offer? Aniki, you hurt me so much~"

"_Get a grip, you're on a public train_."

"And that's supposed to automatically prevent me from acting however I feel like?" Kaito snorted. "You know I don't play by anyone's rules."

"_Except Suiyami-san's, because he scares the shit out of everyone and defies The Laws Of The Universe about as much as you do_," Conan continued sarcastically.

"_Oh, Kaito, I need you to teach me a magic trick that I can pull out of my sleeve_," Shinichi added in again. "_I threatened Kubota-sensei with one today so she wouldn't confiscate my phone and I'd like to know one in case I actually have to pull it off someday_."

"Oh yeah, Kubota-sensei is a fun victim for magic tricks," Kaito snickered. "Oh, looks like I'm finally in Ekoda. I'll talk to you again soon, okay? See you in school tomorrow Aniki, and I'll make sure I have some spare time on my calendar so I can go on a romantic date with the little runt sometime," Kaito grinned, and even had to hold back some laughing when a very offended "_OI!_" bounced at him through the phone. Kaito threw in a quick "See ya!" before hanging up and pushing his way through the slightly too-large crowd and out of the train.

Kaito wasn't too fond of having to travel and live so far away from Shinichi, but Chikage had to move to Ekoda for unexpected work-related reasons right before school started, so it had already been too late to change their cover-story. Also, Chikage had been alone for a very long time, so rather than throw a tantrum and come up with excuses to be closer to Beika, he decided to just deal with the situation and take the train like a regular person.

Kaito smiled as he walked up to the door of the small place he shared with his (adoptive) mother. A little more than two weeks had gone by, but Kaito already felt very at home and would be sad if they had to move out again so soon. He opened the door and walked in.

"Kaa-chan, I'm home!" Kaito yelled out into the house. He took his shoes off and snuck his feet into his slippers, proceeding to walk halfway into the hall before stopping.

"I'm home, Kaa-chan!" Kaito announced again. He waited a little longer, before walking into the kitchen. He'd absently looked through the doorways at the rooms as he passed, and once he'd reached the dining table he'd noticed one thing: all the lights were off. Kaito turned back and walked towards the phone that sat on its private table. There was no note, and no voice-mail either.

Kaito spun quickly around, his eyes darting around as he tried to take in the house and all the details that could be considered abnormal. Though no lights and no message were a dead giveaway to something not being right.

"Kaa-chan?" Kaito called out tentatively. Still no response. At that point, Kaito began to panic.

Chikage had been taken by the Dark Ring.

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**Oh Kami, Monday I have to fill out forms to confirm my inserting in the Psych-university O_O You'd think I'd be used to it by now considering that I've been the done doing it for the past six years instead of my parents, but I hate it so bad...I always feel like I'm going to do something wrong, and having to do it over the internet this time really doesn't help things XD Other than that, I'm relatively satisfied with how this chapter turned out despite the fact that I rushed it...**_**a lot**_**; I'm waiting for Arkeis to announce the results of his Pokemon Spriting Contest, and I'll be moving in with my boyfriend when the new school-term starts. We're pretty excited about it even if we're still waiting for the other dude to confirm whether or not we'll be getting the apartment we asked for XD  
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**Nequam-tenshi**: Kazuki didn't fake anything…and only skipped school to investigate Naoki's kidnapping, so I have no idea what you're talking about XD

**Marie Ravenclaw**: Yes, I can tell you're still dead tired, because it's "Redwood" and not "Redwing"…and "Suiyami-san" is a student, not a teacher XD I'll just say this as a reminder, but Suiyami Felix is Kaito's and Saguru's classmate and got pranked by Kaito on the first school day when the crazy boy went and turned his hair silver. Since he's not a teacher, nobody calls him "-sensei", but because he's the Head of the Disciplinary Committee, they use the polite form and address him as "-san" instead of "-kun". Oh, and the crazy fan-club chicks refer to him as "-sama".

**Animegirl1987**: Well, I _was_ a bit late on that one. I planned on getting up early on (my) 15th so that I could finish it before noon and the readers that lived in time zones after mine (namely the American continent) wouldn't notice, but I ended up waking up at noon that day, so _that_ kinda messed up my plans XD I get the feeling that my interpretation of the Shonen Tantei is a bit off, but…it's actually rather off with everyone, so I'll just keep on thinking "Oh nevermind…" XD

**A Smiling Cat**: I think it would be interesting to see Yuusaku get shrunk and have to deal with the kids...how would he react? Hmm...wait, maybe the better question would be "How would Yukiko react?" XD

**Mangaluva**: Sorry, but Shinichi didn't go after Kazuki and just sat in school instead =p And if you forgetting to review once in a while is a sin, then I'll most likely burn over in Hell 1000 times or so for not reviewing on yours XD Then again, you already know your fics are pure epic so you don't need me to come and repeat it at every update XDDD

**MidnightSushiNinja**: I think it's funny how you're sorta late compared to everyone else...well, not really, but you always show up a half a day before the actual update XD S'not a crime though, so no worries there...hey, at least you'll still have another chapter to read when this thing finally gets finished in several years time and everybody else starts complaining about it being done (or more like they'll complain about it's length halfway through the story, now that I think of it). Oh, and...the definition of Arkeis: to put ot simply? The ultimate master in all the history of the creation of Pokemon. Forget Sugimori, Nintendo and Game Freak should hire Arkeis! 8D


	25. Ch24: Unexpected

**I'm evil.**

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_Chapter 24: Unexpected_

The first thing Kaito did was rush to pick up the phone and dial the number of the Kudo household.

Kaito was not going to let the Dark Ring do as they please. They'd played with the boys' lives long enough, and if they were going to step up and try to ruin their lives any more, they would fight back. Kaito wasn't necessarily unhappy when he'd been with the Dark Ring...but he'd already decided that he'd not be going back.

The phone rang a couple times before somebody picked up on the other end.

"_Hello~?_"

"Yukiko-chan? It's me, Kaito. Listen, I-"

"Kaito?"

Kaito jumped and spun around to see a woman in a bathrobe slowly come down the stairs.

He blinked. "...Kaa-chan? You're here? You weren't taken by the Dark Ring?"

It was Chikage's turn to blink. She smiled. "Of course not, silly! Evil Organization or not, there's not way they figure out who you are in such a short time." She started coughing, and gave Kaito a sheepish grin. "I'm a little sick though, so you should probably avoid hanging around me for now..."

"Don't say that!" Kaito replied. Hearing someone calling for him on the other side of the phone he was holding, he went back to the previous conversation.

"_Kaito, what's wrong?_" came Shinichi's concerned question.

"I-I'm sorry, I thought something happened and wanted to tell you, but it's all right- wasn't Yukiko-chan on the phone first?"

"_Yeah, but since it was you she figured you wanted to talk to me_," Shinichi sighed. "_But if everything's fine, then I guess that's good_."

"Yeah, sorry I bothered you..." Kaito smiled. "I'll see you at school tomorrow. Say hi to Yukiko-chan and Yuusaku-san for me, okay?"

"_No problem. See you_."

"Later," Kaito finished as he hung up. He then turned to his mother with a worried look on his face. "Kaa-chan, are you sure you're okay? Why didn't you answer when I said I was home?"

"I'm more worried about contaminating you with whatever germs I have," Chikage grinned. "Don't worry, I'll be fine," she added with another coughing fit. Kaito rushed over to support her (even though she didn't _really_ need it).

"You should really lie down," Kaito advised. "The less you move, the quicker you recover- or so they say."

"Kaito, you honestly shouldn't worry that much," she giggled, letting herself be led back up the stairs and to her bedroom anyway. "You're acting like I'm in some sort of horrible pain."

"Maybe you are and you're just hiding it from me," Kaito replied. It was only a half-joke, because some people _were_ ready to lie about their condition to avoid worrying others.

"Of course I'm not! And to answer your previous question, I was using the bathroom. I didn't hear you."

Both of them walked into the bedroom and Kaito watched Chikage slowly sit on the sheets of her bed, coughing again.

"You just lie down and leave everything to me, okay?" Kaito smiled gently, having to basically refrain from wanting to help any further (because, really, he was almost dying to keep her from doing _anything_ and ready to make sure she was snuggled up properly).

"But what about your homework?" she asked.

"I can take care of that later. First, you."

Chikage shook her head with an exasperated sigh, but smiled at him anyway. Kaito left the room and headed back down the stairs towards the kitchen and started thinking.

What should he make? Something that would help her recover a little faster, of course, but Kaito was used to simply following Chikage's instructions rather than actually coming up wish a dish himself. He stood there pondering about it for a while before finally deciding on opening the fridge, hoping that some kind of good idea would come to mind.

He quickly covered his mouth with his hands to muffle a shriek and immediately backed away to the other end of the room at the sight of the- that _thing_. Breathing like he'd just run a marathon, Kaito removed his hands from his mouth, placing one instead over his panicked heart, and slowly closed his eyes to try and calm himself a little.

He opened his eyes again, looking back to the fridge. The fish was still there.

"Well, it's not like it'll vanish just because you wish for it, stupid..." Kaito muttered to himself. Refusing to take his eyes off of the dangerous food, he slowly sidestepped over to he drawers by sliding along the walls and patted around the counter to find one of the drawers and open them to pull out a pair of metal tongs.

The next part was harder.

Kaito inched over to the still-open fridge where the enemy was laying and the rest of the food was going bad. The closer he got, he more hesitant he was to actually _get_ any closer. When he finally took the last step needed- and was still a good four feet away- he slowly stretched his shaking arm towards the scaly animal and snapped the tongs around it. He pulled it out just as slowly and back up, dragging the round-eyed thing along with him, and turning so he could put it somewhere where it wouldn't-

Kaito didn't hold the tongs tight enough, and the deadly monster dropped to the floor at his feet. The magician screamed in surprise and horror and crashed into the pans behind him.

...At this rate, dinner would be getting nowhere.

The teen scrambled out of the kitchen and started searching through the house for useful tools. Being creative, he didn't need too much time to find what he needed. A doctor's coat from his mother's work outfits, a coughing mask, a pair of swim goggles and a roll of duct tape. He left the duct tape on the kitchen table while he went to change into his choice of clothing. He was pretty proud of himself when he looked in the mirror once he finished and saw that he wasn't too far off from looking like an actual (even if insane) doctor, but looks wasn't the most important issue in this situation.

Heading back to the kitchen in his new outfit, he pulled open another drawer all while carefully evading the dangerous object on the floor and grabbed a large butcher's knife. with that, he had just about everything he needed. Now he was just missing one more thing: where could he find something that could act as a stick...?

Kaito stiffened when he heard clicking sounds coming from the front door, like someone fiddling the lock. And whoever it was managed to open the lock very quickly. Clenching his fists, the young magician slid into the hall with caution.

With a some quick acting, he decided to surprise the enemy by wrenching the door open instead of waiting. On the other side, the girl shrieked, dropping whatever she was holding to the floor.

Except the mop, and whacked him on the head with it. Hard.

Kaito recoiled, a hand resting on his throbbing head, and having to use the phone table as a support so his legs didn't give away from the sudden and unexpected hit.

"Who are you?" the girl screamed at him, on guard. "Why are you here, and why the hell were you holding that over-sized knife?"

"I'm the one who should be asking quest-" he started angrily, before blinking at her. "...Nakamori-chan?"

She blinked in turn. "You know my name?"

He pulled down the mask to his throat and put the goggles up to his (still hurting) forehead with a grin. "It's me, Kaito!"

"K-Kuroba-kun?" she gasped. "What- Why- Oh _Kami_, are you hurt?"

"I'll probably go back to school with a huge lump on head tomorrow, but otherwise I'm fine," he smiled. "If I wasn't me, you'd have knocked me out!"

"Oh crap, I'm so sorry- I wish I had some first-aid kit or something-"

"I said I'm fine," he chuckled, "there's no need for that stuff. What are you doing here, shouldn't you be at home?"

"This used to be my grandma's house up until six months ago," Aoko replied. "I've been cleaning it every month and came back to do the same thing today- I didn't know that Tou-san finally sold it! And I wouldn't have expected you to be the one living here."

"Your grandma?" he repeated.

"Yeah, she passed away...She was really kind and I loved her a lot, so I would come here often to visit her," she smiled sadly. "I was kind of scared of what would happen when Tou-san found someone to live here, but I think I feel better knowing someone like you and your Kaa-san are taking care of the place."

"You're welcome here any time," Kaito grinned. "I'm sure Kaa-chan won't mind. Well, when she's not sick, that is."

"She's sick?"

"I told her to stay in bed, so I'm fighting with dinner right now."

"Can I help?"

Kaito blinked. "What? Nakamori-chan, I wouldn't want to bother you with that!"

"I'm the one offering, so it doesn't bother me at all. And Tou-san isn't expecting me for a while anyway, so I might as well make myself useful!"

While Kaito was still hesitating, Aoko simply walked into the house before closing the door and then went straight to the kitchen. Her first comment was the mess of scattered pans on the floor. It took Kaito a few seconds to register what was going on, but those few seconds were enough for Aoko to come right back out with a stern look on her face.

And the fish in her hands.

Kaito yelped and dropped the large knife that he'd been holding the entire time, immediately backing up and bumping into the door behind him.

"S-Stay away!" he squeaked, but seeing how close Aoko already was, it wasn't enough time for her to react properly. By the time she stopped, the fish a foot away from him.

Terror overwhelmed him as he slowly sunk to the ground, staring at the round-eyed animal, his entire body shaking. The evil creature was staring right back at him.

He wanted to scream and run away and never turn back, but his legs were paralyzed and his voice stuck in his throat. The world was starting to blur.

"Kaito!"

Kaito finally managed to wrench his eyes away and look up into Chikage's, who was crouched beside him with a very worried expression on her face. Kaito noticed that his own breathing was shallow, and his fingers still twitching uncontrollably. He looked back to where Aoko was standing, but the fish was gone. He turned back to Chikage and swallowed hard.

"K-Kaa-chan..." he whimpered quietly. "I'm s-s-sorry..."

She ran her hand through his hair, making him shudder at the contact, shushing him. "It's okay. It's alright."

"Y-You should be in bed," he muttered. Chikage giggled.

"Still thinking about that? It's just a cough, you know," as if on cue, she coughed. "Your friend and I were more worried about you."

Kaito looked back at Aoko, who was standing at the other end of the room, trying hard to hold back tears despite her face being already rather wet.

"I'm s-so sorry, Kuroba-kun!" she cried. "I d-didn't know you were so afraid of f-fish, I..."

"Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" Kaito grinned, even if his voice wasn't as strong as usual. "There's no point crying over something like that!" he added, slowly getting up with Chikage's help. As soon as he was on his legs though, Aoko flung herself onto him, his entire body tensing along with a violent shudder.

"It was s-scary...you weren't m-moving...K-Kuroba-san called your name several t-times..."

"Nakamori-chan, p-please..." he squirmed, fighting back a blush. "There's nothing you could do about it, there's no way you could've known...you can't expect to know that kind of stuff after only two weeks!"

Aoko let go of him, and Kaito smiled at her. "So, how about we start cooking and you stay over for dinner? You can always use our phone to let your Tou-san know."

Aoko smiled back and nodded.

_**xXx**_

Aside from when Kaito left the kitchen so Aoko could prepare the fish with a few of Chikage's suggestions (she'd put on the mask Kaito stole earlier, after long arguments about how she didn't have to be strapped to her bed and her adorably sweet and caring boy finally giving in), cooking had been fun. And the results were great. The food itself was excellent, and the dinner table had been very lively, with Kaito grinning, Aoko scolding him, and Chikage giggling at their antics. Kaito didn't show any of it, but he felt a little sad when she left, thinking how much of a shame it was that she couldn't stay longer. But he knew he would've probably started feeling a little uneasy after a while, because, as much as he appreciated her, he wasn't ready. Feeling close to someone he hardly knew...he just couldn't handle it yet.

Chikage was a different story, though. First off, he'd known her a little longer. He hadn't seen much of her during his stay in the Kudo household the first month, but enough that he didn't feel uncomfortable just being around her. And then, of course, she was supposed to play the role of his mother- what kind of weird child would feel uneasy around his mother? Especially since Chikage was a good person. People would be asking questions if such a great mother could make their son feel awkward around her.

Kaito had to force himself at first, but now being around her was simply natural. She was a very good listener too, he could tell. Even if he hadn't ever really said much about his life in the Dark Ring. He tended to keep that kind of stuff to himself, or at least until to could talk about his worries with Shinichi. Or even Heiji or Saguru, but Shinichi was the one that usually came to his mind first.

"Now I just make the cloth a ball of some sort in my hands..." Kaito smiled, smashing the white piece of square cloth between his palms, making sure Chikage didn't see anything. "...and then, when I want to see if it's balled up enough, _voilà!_" he grinned, opening his hands a releasing a dove. The cloth was gone, and dove gently went to rest on Chikage's shoulder. She giggled and clapped at Kaito's performance as the teen bowed elegantly.

"Your magic is amazing for someone who's been only doing it for two months," she complimented. Kaito smiled, and she smiled back. "No wonder you're Toichi-kun's son..."

"Eh? You...You knew Tou-san?" Kaito asked quietly, a little shocked.

"I don't talk about it a lot, but...yes, I did know him." The dove cooed in her ear, and she started stroking the bird's feathers. "You're a lot like him when he was your age, you know. His hair was just as messy as yours, and he was as much of a troublemaker as you are now."

"Tou-san was a troublemaker?" Kaito repeated as he sat beside her on the bed, unable to keep himself from grinning.

"One of the worst, and paired with Yuusaku-kun they were pretty much unstoppable."

"Yuusaku-san was also like that? But he looks like such a calm person!"

"He is now, but that's only after Haruko-chan, finally went and smacked them in the face," Chikage laughed. "We all had a bit of a weird personality back then, you'd never expect us to have been like that unless you knew us, or we told you."

"No wonder, you've all changed so much in the meantime..."

"Oh, but the two boys got even worse when Akio-kun showed up," she grinned. She coughed a little before continuing. "The poor janitor...he already had his hands full with regular students, but those three were making him go insane! But he had nerves of steel for staying there- the other janitor never stayed more than a month with them around."

"Oh, so _Yuusaku-san and Tou-san _were the two friends he once told us about!" Kaito said as it dawned on him. "He came over to visit once and told us the story about how they unleashed a bunch of chickens on the school grounds and watched the janitors chase them for over twenty minutes."

"I remember that," Chikage laughed again. "But that was nowhere near their biggest stunt. They also did things like school-wide pillow fights, put itching-powder in every guys' shirts so they would eventually strip, paint the entire school over and give it a new color...but their greatest achievement was probably Toichi-kun's first big 'magic trick', the Christmas Tree."

"What did they do?" Kaito asked, his eyes almost sparkling with mixed emotions as he continued to smile.

"On the last day of school before Christmas, they set up a huge tree made of glass on the school roof without anybody noticing it," she replied, her eyes shining as well just at the memory of it. "It was made from all sorts of colorful glass shards, all glued together, and inside the glass tree Toichi-kun had set up a large ball with spotlights all around it- and so when it got dark out and everybody was getting ready to leave the school, they turned the lights on and...the sight of that glass tree was the most beautiful thing we'd ever seen on a Christmas Eve," she smiled. Kaito was at the edge of his seat on the bed. "Red, yellow, green, blue, white, the colors were just dancing around and bouncing off the farthest buildings they could reach. Anyone that was nearby stopped to stare at it in awe, and even the people on Touto Tower could see it from where they were. It was simply _amazing_. So much that the teachers didn't have the heart to scold them for bringing such a huge thing to the school without permission."

"I wish I could've seen it," Kaito beamed. "Tou-san must've done a lot of incredible things even without necessarily creating havoc."

"He did. He did a lot of things..." Chikage smiled, this time her expression a little sadder. "It's a shame he left us..because the entire world would have looked up to him if he were still here."

"I'm sure of it too..." the teen whispered. They sat together in silence for a moment until Chikage kissed him on the forehead.

"Alright boy, you should probably go and do your homework now," she said, ruffling his hair a bit and making it messier than it already was. "You don't want to be late for school tomorrow, do you?"

"Aww, but Kaa-chaaan!~"

"Nuh-uh, no arguing: if you really want we can talk some more when you get back home, ne?"

Kaito nodded, even though he didn't really agree with having to stop their conversation about his father like that, and wished her goodnight before leaving to go to his own room.

He really enjoyed hearing stories about Toichi. Kaito had loved his father, but it felt like he had so few memories of him that he kind of regretted not having more of them. And getting to listen to the others talk about how Toichi was when he was still alive made Kaito feel warm inside, the nostalgia that emanated from those who told the stories, and the pride of knowing what a great man his father was. If anything, Kaito hoped someday he would be able to become just like him.

Closing the door behind him, Kaito aimed for his school bag and pulled out whatever books he needed to do the assignments the teachers had given them. He spread them on the desk in his room and opened one of them, making a pencil appear out of thin air so he could start.

It was just that since he was a little distracted, it took him a bit longer than expected to finish everything for the next day before he could finally go to bed...

* * *

**So, just as a quick notice, updates will become more irregular due to school starting next month. School starting next month means me living in an apartment with no internet and lots of school work and generally less time for anything else. I'll try to write whenever I can, but don't expect much. **

**For some reason I found that writing from Kaito's point of view when facing fish was both fun and interesting. A lot of authors think it's a funny phobia and like to use it for cracky scenes (I'm no exception, really), but no matter how weird the phobia is, it's still phobia and can be a real problem for the one that has it, and I realise it everytime I see Haru shaking in terror whenever a bee or wasp flies past his face. So I liked that part even if it was short...but what really had me all giddy and sitting a the edge of my seat while I was writing it was Chikage telling Kaito about the glass tree. I just plain love it XD**

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**Marie Ravenclaw**: That happens.

**Cataract Falcon**: Soon is…difficult. But don't worry, this fic is going to be long as hell so you'll have plenty to read for the next two years at least XD

**Mangaluva**: …ha! XD

**A Smiling Cat**: Yeah, Shinichi will know two or three things. Won't that be fun? XD

**Random Reader**: I'm still practicing, cliffie-wise. Cliffies make you angry and want to read what happens next, so guess what my aim is XD Oh, and I love the pen-name you thought up for the random review x3

**Nequam-tenshi**: I'm not sure what you're getting at by saying that, but…yes, she is…I think XD

**MidnightSushiNinja**: I like reviews no matter when they arrive XD Um, I sort of planned the time-line for the next few chapters, and hoping that whatever thing comes up next doesn't split into two chapters, it should be more or less soon (chapter-wise). Heck, I didn't even plan on the kidnapping case to be this long, but it was XD Sorry about that.

**Alynawatlovers**: Welcome to the fic, glad you like it XD For a long time I couldn't decide myself whether Maple was an OC or an actual character...but in the end I decided she would be an OC.


	26. Ch25: An Update On Gadgets

**I don't own DC. Figured I'd remind you.**

_Chapter 25: An Update On Gadgets_

"Is anyone home?" came the hesitant question from the front door. Recognising the voice as pretty much his own, Conan knew who'd just trodded in. Agasa went to greet the teen detective.

"What kind of guy just walks into somebody's house without knocking?" Genta asked, almost a little annoyed.

"Maybe we didn't hear him?" Mitsuhiko suggested.

"Ah- Agasa-hakase, you could've told me you had other guests already!" Shinichi smiled, a little sheepishly. "Did I come at a bad time?"

"Oh! Could it be that you're that famous detective, Kazuki Kudo?" Mitsuhiko said in awe.

"Sorry, but no," Shinichi deadpanned.

"Ah! Then you must be Shinichi-niichan!" Ayumi piped up.

"...How did you know that?" Shinichi wondered.

"Because your name is practically the only one in my mouth these days," Conan replied, finally coming out of his hiding place in the kitchen and putting a tray of drinks down on the table in front of the kids.

"How come?" Shinichi blinked.

"Because your family issues tend to prevent me from being with my friends," Conan answered, trying very hard not to stress the words he really wanted to insist on.

"Well, sorry for being a parasite in your life," he grinned. That didn't look very sorry, but Conan made no comment about it.

"So, how's everybody else doing?" he asked instead, handing out the drinks to the kids. "Ah, wait, we're one glass short, I'll-"

"I'll go get it," Agasa interrupted before Conan could finish, and headed for the kitchen.

"Hattori is helping Araide-san with patients this week-end to improve his medical knowledge, Hakuba is probably lulling at home, and Kaito just recovered yesterday after being sick for three days," Shinichi replied. He'd said it casually, but Conan knew what he'd implied. He'd been told when it happened, after all.

"So Kaito-niichan is going back to school after the week-end is done, right?"

Shinichi nodded. "Yeah." Then he smiled, turning to look at the kids. "So, are these your friends?"

"Yeah."

"My name's Shinichi Kudo, as you've already guessed," he grinned. "And the three of you must be the Shonen Tantei- Yoshida Ayumi, Tsuburuya Mitsuhiko and Kojima Genta, right?"

"How did you know that?" Genta gasped.

"You guys are not the only ones good at guessing," he winked. "I'm a detective, just like you. Except that I'm a bit older, faster and smarter, and before you complain, I'm not insinuating that you're idiots, on the contrary," he chuckled, seeing Ayumi already stand up to counter his comment. She slowly sat back down. "Being smarter than everyone is a necessity as a detective. Smarter than the people younger than you, smarter than the people older than you, smarter than your friends and your enemies. You have to be able to out-fox anyone you encounter. You're still kids, so you still have much to learn, and there's plenty of room for improvement. Being smarter than most kids of your age means you've got potential- and not just a little bit- and it also means that when you're older you'll be more than just a bunch of regular detectives. Actually," and Shinichi's smile widened, "I'm pretty sure that you guys will be better than Sherlock Holmes himself."

"Oi oi, isn't that pushing it a little?" Conan deadpanned.

"No, I'm quite serious," he smirked. "Being able to see what others can't is another one of the detectives' necessities, but I thought you knew that already?"

Conan simply scowled.

"You're very different from what I imagined," Ayumi said in awe.

"Yeah, you sound like a wise old man," Mitsuhiko smiled.

"Am I supposed to feel insulted at the mention of 'old'?" Shinichi grinned. The kids laughed.

"Ne ne, Shinichi-niichan," Ayumi started, "do you think you could teach us a few tricks? Like, um...like 'being able to see what others can't', or-"

"Or stalking!" Genta suggested.

"Or using the right evidence against the criminal," Mitsuhiko added.

"Oi oi, doing something like that would be too much of an honor for me," Shinichi replied with a sheepish smile, raising his hands defensively. "Besides," he continued noticing Conan's jealous stare from the corner of his eye, "I won't necessarily be around all the time. You should probably learn from someone that's closer and that you see more often, like Conan-kun."

"It's true that Conan-kun is smart," Mitsuhiko said, "but he's just a kid, like us."

"Then in that case, you could ask Kazuki for some advice when he gets back," Shinichi shrugged, crossing his arms. He smirked. "But I still insist that you can learn a lot more from Conan-kun than you think. If you're still insistent on having me teach you something, the best I can do is give you a few lectures that you could just as well hear from Kazuki or from Conan-kun."

"Then I have a question," Genta said, raising his hand like in a classroom. "What gadgets does a detective need to bring to fight criminals?"

"A detective doesn't fight often, so the brain is usually all you need," Shinichi chuckled. "But knowing a few karate or judo skills can always come in handy."

"Then why does Conan-kun have all those awesome criminal-catching things that Agasa-hakase keeps making for him?" Ayumi asked. Ah, slightly jealous of him, he thought.

"Maybe if you ask Agasa-hakse he'll eventually make some for you sometime," he grinned. Agasa, who'd come back ages ago, gave a slight cough. "But you have nowhere near as much experience as Conan-kun on the battlefield. That's why he can charge off while you stay behind; it's too dangerous for you- for now, anyway."

"But we've also already seen and done things that are way too dangerous for most kids!" Mitsuhiko countered. "It's not like we've never been face-to-face with the culprit before!"

"Look at it this way," Shinichi finally said after a moment's thought. "Two men are having a karate match. One of them is very strong and powerful, and if you put him in front of a pile of bricks, he could break five of them with a single chop. The other, not as strong, could only break two of them. Now they're face-to-face: the strong one is having a karate match for the first time in his life, the other one had already participated in many matches. The stronger one lost; why is that?"

"Because it was his first time," Mitsuhiko replied automatically.

"Exactly," Shinichi nodded. "The other had a lot more experience, and knew how to deal with things in a match- the stronger one didn't. It's the same with you guys: Conan-kun is used to dealing with things like that all the time. You not quite yet, though I'm assuming you're starting to get pretty good at it."

"Speaking of gadgets," Agasa interrupted, apparently suddenly remembering something, and slapping a fist against his other open palm, "I have something for all of you."

Conan blinked, and all of them watched as Agasa quickly hurried off to fetch whatever mystery item he'd come up with this time.

Conan already sighed ahead. It wasn't like Agasa's inventions were always useless. He'd come up with some pretty good stuff, and Conan used them regularly. He was kind of forced to if he wanted to survive against the criminals he constantly went up against. But the hypodermic projectiles hidden in his dart-watch and the voice-changing bow-tie were probably his two favorites among his current collection. For one, it let him put Kogoro to sleep and solve the case using his voice. Two, the dart-watch wasn't created to victimize Kogoro only. Three, the bow-tie let him call Ran every now and then so she worried a little less (living under the same roof as her tended to let him forget that just because he knew that she was safe didn't mean that she knew he was, and so he usually called right when she was getting depressed, which wasn't a very good routine to keep unless he wanted her to discover his identity). Four, the two gadgets had saved his ass several times in general.

Oh, and the power-kick shoes.

"Here they are!" Agasa grinned, and held out a bunch of pins. Conan immediately recognised them. "Your upgraded badges!"

"Seriously?" Genta asked, taking one. "They don't look any different from before."

"Never judge a book by its cover," Shinichi smiled.

"I put trackers in each of them," Agasa explained. "Each of your badges will emit specific waves signals different from another."

"But a tracker isn't much good when you don't have a screen to track them," Mitsuhiko commented, almost looking a little disappointed.

"That's why I'll be keeping my own badge!" Agasa winked. "Since I didn't have any place to put the screens, I have one large map with dots that move. Each dot has a different color and points to a different badge. All you'll have to do is call, and I can tell you where you lost your badge!"

"Awesome!" Ayumi beamed. "Now we won't have to worry about bothering Agasa-hakase to make new ones when we lose them!"

_I think that using the trackers for if one of you ever gets kidnapped sounds like a much better purpose_, Conan thought.

"And since I figured that Shinichi-kun would want one too..." Agasa smiled, holding out the last badge to him. Shinichi smiled back and shook his head.

"It's alright, I'll be fine," he assured. "I'm not one of the Shonen Tantei, I don't deserve that badge."

"We could make you one!" Ayumi declared, and Mitsuhiko nodded.

"Nah, I'm too old for you," Shinichi grinned. "The Shonen Tantei is a team of smart and special kiddy-detectives, and I'm already a teenager. Besides, I've already got my own team of detectives to stick to."

"Really?" Genta blinked. "What are you called? And who's the leader?"

"We don't have a team name, nor any leader," Shinichi chuckled. "And sometimes it can be hard to work together the same way you do, because Hattori and Hakuba like to take a peck at each other every five-"

"A peck?" Mitsuhiko repeated, confused.

"It's an inside joke meaning that they fight a lot," Shinichi smiled.

_Yeah, and I'm one of the insiders that gets it_, Conan smirked.

"...And Kaito's not interested in detective work," Shinichi finished.

"But detective work is the best!" Genta said, almost sounding insulted. "Who's that guy to not like being a detective?"

"He's, uh...he's my cousin," he replied sheepishly. "And, well...how do I describe him..."

"He's the god of disaster and chaos", Conan deadpanned. "He'll pull off a prank on anyone he wants. And when he gives you a new hair color, it's usually one that's doesn't go unnoticed, and doesn't come out for ages," he added, thinking of what he'd heard happened to the Head of the Disciplinary Comittee.

"That's harsh," Shinichi sweatdropped. "No, actually Kaito is someone that likes to be different from others without being rejected. He loves attention and is much smarter than most people would first think, and being tightly connected to a group of mystery geeks you'd think he would want to be a detective too. But like I said, he likes to stand out."

"But that doesn't mean he should be allowed to prank people however he feels like!" Ayumi frowned.

"You're right, and some teachers of the school are still trying to get him under control," Shinichi shrugged, before grinning. "But most of them already decided that he takes after his father and that there's no point in trying to tame him any further."

Conan blinked at the new information. _Their father also went to Teitan High?_

At that moment, the phone rang. Agasa got up from his seat and went to answer under the curious gazes of the youngsters. Agasa first stared at them when he reached the phone, wondering why the heck they were suddenly so attentive, and picked the ringing device up.

"Hello?"

"If this Kaito prson doesn't like detective work, what does he do instead?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"Magic!" Shinichi replied brightly. The kids _whoa_-ed in awe.

"Ayumi-kun, it's your mother!" Agasa told them from were he was standing. "She wants to know if you kids are staying overnight?"

"Why, what time is it?" she wondered.

"It's...kinda late," Conan answered, pretty shocked about the time himself.

"Oh no!" Mitsuhiko gasped, getting a peek at Conan's watch. "I still have a violin lesson tonight! Sorry everyone, gotta run!" and he immediately jumped up, rushing to get his jacket and run out of the door. "Thank you Agasa-hakase!"

"Come back any time!" Agasa called after him, smiling.

"Should we go home too, Genta-kun?" Ayumi asked the boy still sitting beside her.

"I dunno. But I'm getting kinda hungry," he admitted, staring down at his stomach. Conan rolled his eyes.

"Agasa-hakse, you can tell Kaa-chan that I'm coming home," the girl announced. "I'm leaving the house in two minutes, so I'll be there soon."

"Alright then," Agasa nodded, and turned to speak into the phone.

"See you at school on Monday, Conan-kun! Goodbye Shinichi-niichan!" she said brightly. "It was nice to meet you!"

"It was nice to meet you guys too," Shinichi smiled back. "I'm glad to see Conan-kun has such good friends- and such a cute one, too!" he added with a grin, making her blush.

"Oi," Conan deadpanned. Shinichi's gaze met his. _Don't encourage her_, were the unspoken words. Conan was glad Shinichi seemed to understand what he thought, and grinned sheepishly.

"We can come and see you again sometime, right?"

Shinichi nodded with a smile. Agasa hung up, and they all went to the door to watch the two remaining kids off.

"What was up with all the flattery?" Conan finally asked, looking up at Shinichi.

"It wasn't just flattery," Shinichi replied, smiling with his arms crossed as he absently continued to observe the elementary students walking away. "I genuinely think everything I said. You found some very exceptional kids there. They'll definitely grow into something big later in life."

"...I guess so," Conan mumbled, also staring at the two figures until the vanished behind a corner. Well, he knew Shinichi was right about the three of the Shonen Tantei being like jewels in the rough.

He'd seen the hidden potential too, after all.

"So, now that the kids are gone, what was it you wanted to show me?" Conan sighed, this time looking up to Agasa. He noted Shinichi's slightly confused look. "You obviously wanted to wait until they weren't looking."

"Yes," Agasa nodded. "Let's go sit down- you can come too, Shinichi-kun," he added, the teen being hesitant. The three of them went to the sofa, and sat. Conan had been on it so often he couldn't tell whether it was soft or uncomfortable anymore, but it was most likely something different for Shinichi.

"Here you go!" Agasa said brightly, pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to Conan. The boy simply took it, without any comment, and held it, expecting an explanation or for something to happen. He stared at the strange tool for a moment before raising his head and staring at a grinning Agasa instead.

"It's a pen," Conan deadpanned.

"This, my dear Kazuki-kun, is one of the most subtle inventions I have ever made!"

"It's a_ pen_," Conan repeated.

"It's a lock-pick-pen," Agasa corrected. Ah, there, he'd gotten the crazy inventor to spill the beans.

"And what lock do you want me to pick with that?" he asked.

"Gin's Porsche," Shinichi suggested with a snicker. Conan actually considered the thought.

"Thing is, I don't normally pick locks," Conan sighed. "Firstly because it's a crime, secondly because I don't do it very often due to the first reason I mentioned."

"If you don't like it, you can give it to Kaito, I'm sure he'll love it," Shinichi grinned. Conan rolled his eyes.

"Let's not," Conan replied flatly. "He's enough of a public danger already, I don't need all of Hell to break loose just because he gets the toys to do so."

Shinichi and Agasa laughed. At the very same moment, the door was practically blasted open, and a very energectic greeting erupted in the entire building.

"Hello everybody!" Kaito shouted happily, beaming and boucing over to the three. "What's up? Why are you looking so shocked at me? Oh hey, what's that? Lemme look!"

"_What the hell are _you _doing here?_" Shinichi and Conan asked in unison.

_**xXx**_

She raised her head when the small gate opened and someone walked in. She knew it was too early for her food. That person undid the metal bracelets around her wrists, the ones that had been aching so much a few days ago that now she couldn't feel the pain anymore, and forced her to stand up and follow. Time for her execution, perhaps? She kind of hoped so. Her days in the cell had gotten too boring, and she really just wanted to leave this horrible world. There wasn't anything left that she was attached to, anyway.

She was led to the rooftop of their new headquarters- the previous ones having been blown up a little over a month ago when the Fledglings had escaped- and brought face to face with a girl with a cold smirk and a hawk. It took her a few seconds to notice it was a female.

"Anokata is willing to give you one last chance," Tiffany grinned dangerously. The hawk on her arm was starting to get nervous. "The order is simple: send this hawk away to join it's master."

...Oh, so it was _that_ hawk. She hadn't seen it in a long time, no wonder she hadn't recognised it.

She watched as Tiffany attached a small ring around it's left leg with a soft click, and handed it to her. "Your turn."

She stared at Tiffany for a moment, then at the hawk. There was a knowing look in the bird's eyes, like it had already figured out what the deal was and what had to be done. A smart one, this girl.

"You know what to do," she told her female companion quietly, just enough for Tiffany to hear without suspecting her of saying anything suspicious, and raised her arm for it to take off. The hawk flapped it's wings, rose into the sky, and darted off. It was soon out of sight.

"Clinging to life?" Tiffany taunted, trying to be mean. She gave the cat lady a neutral glance.

"Just trying to get this over with so I can go back to my cell instead of having to deal with you."

Tiffany frowned, but she just turned and let herself be led back to where she was supposed to stay.

Actually, she would be tempted to speak with Redwood, but she didn't dare ask her escort any questions or favors.

**Lots of dialogue and not enough indirect speech, so I'm not too satisfied with the outcome of this chapter...But I don't feel like re-typing the entire thing when I already had so much trouble writing it in the first place, and did at least three different versions of it. Oh, and once again, sorry for changing my update-pace from regular walking to friggin' drunkard, but even though I expected Biology to be important I didn't think it would be half the damn program. And there's **_**Math**_**? In Psychology? Wth? **

**Anyway, please make any critisism you can think of.**

**A Smiling Cat**: It's not just panic, it's general paranoia. They were raised to doubt and kill and always be on guard. Even if they're doing their best to open up, they're still often on edge and wary of everything, and will immediately react to anything they deem abnormal. Jumping to conclusions isn't that strange XD I like all the characters, so I try to juggle with all of them the best I can. Since this is mostly a fic about how the four boys deal with the outside world, I'm trying to mainly focus my attention on them, without leaving the others like Kazuki/Conan behind. Writing the scene with Chikage telling Kaito of her memories about Toichi and company was probably one of the ones I liked best. I couldn't stop grinning at the image of them smiling brightly. I'll write all I can, but no promises.

**Marie Ravenclaw**: My younger brother is taller than me too XD We all knew it would happen eventually, and I actually got pretty excited when we proclaimed him as officially taller than me. About Kaito trying to take care of Chikage, I kinda ripped it off from by boyfriend. The second I'm not feeling well he starts mothering me around (well he already does it on a general basis but when he knows I'm sick he gets worse XD), and I think it's sort of cute and funny. It does annoy me a little sometimes, but I also really appreciate it. Thus why I try to mother him back XD

**Alynawatlovers**: You're welcome XD Hope you continue to enjoy the fic.

**Animegirl1987**: That's alright, it's not like I'm going to keep a grudge against you or something XD I didn't know people had expectations of whatever update comes next...I just write and hope XD I really wanted to write the serious side of Kaito's fish phobia because I can't remember anyone ever writing it. Sure, even Gosho jokes about it a bit in "Magic Kaito", but I do know one or two friends that also have ichytophobia. Though since I'm a general animal-lover and I've never had to drag them to the aquarium, I can't say I can imagine what it's like to be afraid of fish.

**IceJournal**: Welcome to the fic! Glad you like it, I hope you'll have caught up by the time I update this so you can read my reply instead of skipping to the next chapter already. They're their real names alright, nobody bothered to give them codenames (more like _I_ didn't XD) You're not the first (and probably not the last) to have compared my fic to Maximum Ride, which I've still never read. And I'll admit that I don't plan to before the fic is done either, so I can continue to write my own story instead of being influenced by MR (or desperately trying to make something different). Sorry, no heist written yet, I'm letting the story last instead of trying to have them be overloaded by events right off the bat XD Thanks for the review and I hope you continue to enjoy the rest as well.

**Nequam-tenshi**: Nothing's up with the BO quite yet, but I'll have them in an uproar soon x)

**LugiaObsessedKid**: Haha, congrats for catching up then! Don't worry, there'll still be plenty more for a relatively long time...

**Madame of all Manga**: I agree, that was probably also one of my favorite chapters up to now because it was funny, scary and heart-warming all in one. If I can get all the necessary material, I could probably make a miniature-version of Toichi's Christmas Tree by actual Christmas. And if I have the time XD

**Firehedgehog**: I will, eventually.

**MidnightSushiNinja**: Nah, don't worry, the story won't go on hiatus unless something_ really _horrible happens. And hoping that whatever I'm busy with clears up...hmm...let's say trying to clear up school is kinda hard XD But whatever comes up won't matter, I won't abandon the fic XD


	27. Ch26: Sherlock's Friend

**Professor Layton is kickass. And the Phoenix Wright crossover game is gonna be EPIC- my brother and I plan on learning Japanese just in case Capcom turns stupid and decides on a Japan-only release.**

_Chapter 26: Sherlock's Friend_

Saguru was falling. Not really falling, actually, more like floating downwards. The gentle breeze in his hair felt soothing, nostalgic. He wasn't scared, despite the darkness surrounding him entirely.

He felt a little disappointed when his feet finally touched the ground, slowly. He stared at the seemingly endless void from a moment, silent. He lifted a hand in front of his face, touching some sort of barrier. Judging from the solid and rough material against the palm of his hand, a building wall, made of bricks, cement.

He blinked, and the world took shape.

He was in an alleyway, alone. Tall buildings, honks and shouts on the streets he couldn't see, the hurried steps of thousands of people.

A loud crash. An explosion. Screams of fear. Cries of pain. The sound of fire like cracking whips. Saguru looked up, trying to source the direction of the catastrophe. The clouds were moving too fast to be clouds, and he realised it was smoke, dense enough to look like a brewing thunderstorm.

_Kuro_...

The voice was warped, vague, like six boys and girls speaking at the same time, yet the words were clear. Saguru frowned.

"Who the hell are you?" he shouted. A figure he hadn't noticed before, an invisible person with a thin, white outline as only hint of his presence, spun around in surprise.

..._You can hear me?_...

A loud tapping noise by the window awoke him with a start.

Saguru groaned in frustration and rolled over. The room was still dark. He checked the alarm clock on the night table beside his bed. Barely four in the morning.

The tapping started again, and Saguru forced himself on his feet. He walked to the window, slowly, cautiously. Maybe it was a friend. Maybe it was a burglar checking if the house was empty. Maybe it was the Dark Ring trying to get his attention and catch him by surprise (which was sort of pointless by now, considering he had considered the thought despite still being relatively groggy). But whoever it was, the main question that flitted through Saguru's mind was _Why the _fudge_ did someone have to come and wake me up at such a ridiculous hour?_

Saguru frowned as he observed the large shadow by the windowsill. Unless it was a fat-assed person with a wool cap over his head, no human could make such an odd-shaped shadow. He took a deep breath and opened the window.

There was a sudden _whoosh!_, and the shadow instantly became much larger. It rushed into the bedroom, and Saguru immediately headed for the lights to see who or what it was. The first sound he heard when he switched them on was a high-pitched cry, and he gasped as he finally saw what the mystery-visitor was.

"_Watson!_" he beamed, and made to join the hawk now sitting on his bed. "I thought- I would have never imagined-_ dear Kami_, how on earth did you track me down?" He couldn't have been grinning less than if he had just met Sherlock Holmes in person, and automatically made to stroke the bird's beautiful brown feathers. "I just-_ Kami_...You cannot begin to imagine how much I have missed you! I'm sorry I did not recognise you when I got to the window, but these contacts are really obstructing my vision..."

Watson simply sqwaked in response, and Saguru started giggling like a giddy Kaito.

"How about the others? Aohane, Treeko, Yumi- are they alright?" Watson nodded, Saguru smiled brightly. "Wow, I'm still baffled...if it were not for the odd dream before, I would have been thinking that I am still dreaming. How did-" Saguru abruptly stopped in his sentence, realisation dawning on him like a very hard smack in the face. He immediately made to start inspecting Watson's legs, her feathers, the skin under the thick layer. Watson screeched, giving Saguru a peck on the hand- not a brutal, hurtful one, but not an innocent one either- and nudged something next to her. Saguru blinked and leaned to look. Piled together were the remains of some small, black device

"Watson...is that a tracker?" he asked quietly. She blinked innocently up at him. "...You understood everything, didn't you? That I had vanished on purpose, and that I would be in trouble if they found me through you..." he smiled gently, sweetly, lovingly, like at a younger sibling he held very close to his heart. "And so, you came, with the tracker already broken, and perfectly aware of all the consequences of returning to me..." He knew she didn't like it, and he wouldn't have done it, but he let emotion overwhelm him for a moment and hugged the bird, an impulse of the human side.

"Thank you, Watson," he muttered. "I'm glad I can count on you no matter what the circumstances..."

Saguru was a little surprised when he finally noticed that, while Watson hated being hugged (because it meant her wings being bound, and being able to fly away was one of a bird's most vital necessities), she didn't move or protest at the embrace.

Trust. She, too, trusted him to an extend that even he couldn't imagine. The same way he took care of her, released her to go hunt, waited for her to come back without a single ounce of doubt that she would come right back through the open window...

"A best friend doesn't have to be human..." he whispered. His whole body started shaking slightly, and he pulled her closer, tighter.

Watson sat and waited, unmoving, without a sound, for as long as necessary.

_**xXx**_

It was 7am when Saguru woke up again, except that this time it was the regular alarm. For a moment, he'd done nothing but stare at the ceiling. Then he'd sat up, taking in his surroundings. Watson was sitting very quietly in a corner and staring intensely at the window she'd come through and that Saguru had forgotten to close (beginner's mistake, oh _joy_) before falling back asleep. The lights however were off, and Saguru suspected that his overly-intelligent companion was the cause. He smiled and got up, walking over to the window and closed it.

"Thank you for protecting me, Watson," Saguru said, knowing what she'd been thinking during the three hours he'd been asleep. He streched, yawned, and headed for the bedroom door, extending his arm for Watson to come rest on it. A brushing of feathers and a gust of wind against his cheeks, and a weight on his forearm. Saguru could feel the claws dig slightly into his skin. Not having his usual leather glove it hurt a lot more, but he didn't wince. He opened the door and left for the kitchen.

Sunday was the only day he allowed himself to get up later than usual and sluggishly wander around in pyjamas instead of dressing right away. Even for uptight people rest and laziness were something of a luxury, they just didn't always let themselves do it.

Saguru grabbed the first more or less heavy object he could find and placed it on one of the kitchen chairs. Watson, getting the idea quickly enough of course, hopped from his arm to the chair's back and sat, watching him as he walked off to prepare some food for himself.

"I know you prefer raw meat, but can you cope with cooked sausages? Otherwise you will have to wait until I go shopping later..."

Watson looked away. Saguru took that as an "I'll wait" and smiled.

"Alright then. I will just have my own breakfast first, if you don't mind too much."

She shook her head, and the blond detective chuckled. He threw a few sausages in a pan and a couples pieces of bread in a toaster. He waited, occasionally turning the sausages over a little so they would cook on every side (if they could even be considered sides, try finding a "side" on a more or less round object), and at the same time juggling with setting the dishes on the table, the finished toast, pouring a glass of fruit juice, the sausages about to burn after a few seconds of distraction...

Eventually, he'd managed to get his food on the table without ruining it too much.

"This is more or less what they call a "full English breakfast" in Britain," Saguru explained, taking a seat. "Normally you add eggs to the dish, but if I started eating eggs just for the sake of act, it would still be an insult to the entirety of the avian population."

Watson ruffled her feathers in disgust. Saguru smirked.

When Saguru finally finished eating and putting the dishes away, he headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Usually he prefered reading a book for an hour or so before getting dressed on a Sunday morning, but Watson's return sort of changed his plans for the day. Then again, the earlier the better, and maybe he would have the time to go pick up a few interesting books at the library. He brushed his teeth before undressing and stepping under the hot stream.

Getting the dirt off of his body always made him feel much better and ready for the day.

_Kuro_...

...That's right. That wasn't the first time he'd had a strange dream like that. Even if he couldn't remember the first one at all, aside from "Kuromizu". What was that odd spirit-like person he barely remembered? What had he been trying to say this time? Was he trying to repeat "Kuromizu"? Who or what did it even refer to? Him? Someone else? Something he had yet to find? Something he'd known about for years?

He shook his head. Why was he even thinking about it? It was just a dream. No matter how strange, a dream was a dream, and getting the same dream twice wasn't unheard of. They all knew for example that Kaito kept getting the same dream every week, and they'd simply deduced that he must've had a hidden obsession for fushia-colored paperclips.

After diligently washing his hair and body, he stepped out and dried off, deciding on a white button-up shirt and some jeans- not too casual, not too formal either- and looked around the manor to scoop up whatever he needed before he left to go shop for supplies. He walked into the kitchen, a pen and notepad in his hands, to make a list of missing food.

"I will be going out soon, Watson," he announced, opening the fridge and scanning through it quickly. "You will stay here and watch the place, but keep away from the windows in case the Dark Ring spy around looking for a hawk that is being kept in a home. I doubt they will break in if they cannot see you." Watson let out a small chirping sound, and Saguru smiled as he closed the fridge and took note. Watson descended from the chair and hopped after her comrade, who made to grab his wallet and slip into his shoes. "See you later," he waved, and locked the door behind him.

_**xXx**_

"**Thank Kami there is such a thing as a bus**," Saguru moaned in English, finally arriving near the closest stop. "**These bags are starting to become incredibly**-" And with a haul, he dropped his groceries on the bench right beside someone. He ran a hand through his hair with a relieved huff.

"Are you a foreigner?" the person on the bench asked, eyeing him strangely. Saguru took in her features quickly- long brown hair, dark eyes, and definitely around her mid-twenties at least.

"Sort of," Saguru replied politely with a nod. "I hope you do not mind me putting my bags here."

"I don't, but surely someone who would like to sit will."

"I have no problem with moving them if someone asks," Saguru blinked, a little surprised by her cold tone.

The lady snorted and began muttering under her breath. "No knowledge of basic social codes, rude to the bone and still smile at you like everything's right in the world-"

"Miss, if you very honestly have a problem with my groceries sitting beside you I can-"

"There's no need to act, boy, you're all the same anyways. Most weak-willed bunch if I've ever seen one. Western children have no sense of hard work."

"At lease we are not being pushed to suicide," Saguru replied off-handedly. If she was going to insult him there was, in her own words, 'no need to act'.

"Of course not," the lady snarked, still managing to keep a straight back without smiling. "You don't need the salvation of death when you don't know pride, much less the loss of it."

"Being alive and free is the only pride I need," Saguru answered. Since there was a short pause where the lady couldn't seem to find a witty comment to toss back at him, he smiled gently. "And_ that _is something only very few realise, be it Eastern, Western or aliens."

"You actually believe what you say?" she asked, before laughing mockingly.

The next thing he knew, a very loud _pang! _resonnated near them, making the both of them jump. Saguru stared in shock at the fist that was still sitting in the dent it had created in the closest metal pole.

"If you're going to insult someone's beliefs, might as well keep it to yourself," Ran's voice growled. "It's only common courtesy."

The lady stared for another moment, unable to react, before coming back to her senses and marching off with a queen-like huff. Only when she was far enough Ran removed her fist from the injured steel pole, and Saguru finally managed to open his mouth.

"To see you here is a pleasant surprise, Mouri-san," Saguru smiled, sitting down where the lady had previously been. On top of being able to sit next to his own bags, it was a good way to hide the fact that his legs felt a little shaky in front of Ran's destructive powers. Not to mention the fact that the violent intent in her mind had made his defensive instincts react, and that even if it had only been a split second, refraining from assaulting her had been very difficult.

"I was surprised to find you too, Hakuba-san," she replied gently. The contrast almost sent shivers down his back. "Did you go shopping today?"

"Indeed," Saguru nodded. "Anything I could need for the upcoming week is in these bags- not to mention that they are quite heavy."

"Do you need that much in just a single week?" she giggled.

"No, I am not as much of a vacuum as Hattori," Saguru chuckled. "Actually-"

A loud squeaking noise interrupted him, emerging from one of the bags. Ran blinked, staring at them.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Mice," Saguru replied, looking into the bags. "I will have to admit, I am surprised they haven't been making a ruckus at all."

"Maybe they're all sleeping?" Ran suggested with a grin. "I didn't think you were an animal-lover. You've been here for two months or so, right? I've never seen anyone get a few pets so fast."

"Well, I..." he started, a little hesitant. How would he explain that? "Let's say that is not exactly what they are for."

"Eh? But what can mice be used for other than pets?" Ran wondered, thinking.

"Maybe you do not need to know," Saguru smiled sheepishly.

"Wait, you're not going to _dissect_ them, are you?" Ran gasped.

"No, no!" he chuckled, waving his hands defensively. "Well, no. Though their fate _is_ a little of a cruel one, I'll say..."

Ran watched him, confused. Saguru felt a little embarassed. He'd never acted like this around anyone.

"Um...how about I invite you for a cup of tea?" he offered. "I planned on keeping it a secret, but..."

"...Hakuba-san, I don't mean to offend you, but the only I can think of right now is that you must be doing some really weird stuff to keep it a secret."

Saguru turned his head away and started snickering.

He would probably have to introduce her to Watson after all.

_**xXx**_

Akako watched as the lady parted with Saguru and Ran, the two of them still looking after her before diving into casual chit-chat. She shifted, her arms crossed as she was leaning against a wall and trying to keep out of view as much as possible. Keeping them in sight and trying to not blatantly stare at them at the same time was hard. She knew the blond teen had very sharp senses when it came to feeling observed, and she really didn't need him to notice her.

"Your conclusion?" she asked, as the other finally arrived.

She blinked and dared a glance back at the two schoolmates. "You're right, he's definitely odd."

Akako's frowned. "You don't remember him?"

"Not just that- he's not even cursed," she said quietly.

Akako's frown deepened.

The lady turned back to her. "Are you sure the scars were caused by the inside?"

"Positive."

A moment of silence ensued.

"Maybe you could ask Lucifer," she suggested.

Akako shook her head. "There's no point, Chijumon, he's of no use. He won't tell me anything, and it's always the same issue. The Heart this, the Heart that- what _is_ this Heart thing, anyway?"

The lady frowned.

"It's an ancient relic," she replied darkly, "nobody knows where it is or what it looks like, but it's said to have magic powers that shouldn't be possible- bringing back the dead, or something like that."

"Necromancy?"

"Better."

Akako breathed out. That _did_ sound like something that shouldn't be possible. _No_ magic was supposed to be powerful enough to do that.

"And Lucifer has been ranting on about it?" Chijumon asked.

"Way too much for my taste."

Chijumon stared down to the floor. Akako waited, watching.

"What do you think?" she finally asked, making the lady raise her head.

"You should probably stay out of all of this," Chijumon replied. Akako felt surprised, but held back her blink and frowned instead. "As awesome as this power sounds, we witches have made it an unspoken rule to never get involved with whatever that thing might be. We're not even sure if that power is the real deal. For all we know, it could lead to something that surpasses our wildest of imaginations."

Akako turned her head away, thinking. Chijumon wasn't exactly the one she respected most, but she _was_ very powerful and knew more about the magical arts than Akako did.

"Koizumi- no, _Akako_," Chijumon insisted. "As your comrade in witchcraft, I demand that you do not get involved with this ancient relic beholding unknown power."

"I swear on my very existence," Akako replied, ripping away from the wall and facing Chijumon entirely, "that I will not try to learn any further about the whereabouts or the identity of the ancient relic you mentioned."

Chijumon nodded and left. Akako watched her walk away, then turned to look at Saguru and Ran again. No two seconds later, the bus arrived, blocking them from view.

_I'm sorry, Chijumon_, Akako thought, walking away herself. _I had to alter the promise a little...because, from what I understood of Lucifer's predictions, I _will _be involved with the object, even if I don't try_.

**Yes, I made Saguru look cute in this chapter. No, Treeko was not taken from Pokemon even though I did notice afterwards. No, he did not cry when he was hugging Watson, and I couldn't find a different way of writing it. Yes, Chijumon is a fellow witch, though I have no idea when she'll show up again, or if even at all. Yes, I'm still alive. No, I don't plan on finishing the fic anytime soon, though I'll probably go over the previous chapters and fix all the mistakes I missed. In a few months or so.**

**For those that were still confused about this "Tiffany" person, she's an OC member of the Dark Ring. And like half the organisation, she's not exactly a nice person.**

**Alice Edogawa**: ...I can tell you were watching very carefully for an update, I put it up and thirty minutes later there's already a first review XD Once again, sorry for the irregular updating...

**Nequam-tenshi**: No, no shooting XD And Kaitou KID doesn't even exist in this fic yet =O

**Firehedgehog**: I did, yeah. But the one before that was even more fun to write because of all the various emotions =P

**Daisuke Kazamatsuri**: ...I keep forgetting that that video is still up there, and I keep telling this to anyone who's told me they found the fic through that XD I actually got the pen idea after watching the trailer to "Percy Jackson" on YT, hence Conan insisting on "It's a _pen_." XD But since I couldn't stuff a magic/laser sword in there, I took something a little more along the lines of the possible XD And I also figured that Conan doesn't have a lock-pick yet, so why not?

**Marie Ravenclaw**: When you say "the person at the end of the chapter", do you mean Tiffany or the mystery point-of-view? If you mean Tiffany, well...*points up* But if you mean the other one...wait another couple chapters and you'll see XD

**Conan's Best Deduction**: Thank you! =D I've been trying to be a little more positive about my writing skills, because I wasn't the most confident person when I first started it (am still not, especially since my original idea morphed into something entirely different by now), but seeing so many people review actually makes me kinda happy XD I do plan on having Kaito become Kaitou KID later on, and there'll be a few heists too, but that's still pretty far off. Sorry! XD

**A Smiling Cat**: There's no such thing as "late" on a fic. There's only "too early, sorry the update's no here yet!". The only "late" there is comes from my end ._. They actually call it "Statistics", since that's what it really is, but I call it "Math" because they're roughly the same element :| Whatever. I tried to create a new view on the DB because people don't give them enough credit. It's like they're stupid, or only count as smart once they're older. Of course you're smarter when you're older because of the experience, but does that mean they're unintelligent? No. Hence, Shinichi's encouraging monolgues =D

**Animegirl1987**: *sees the chapter glowing in a holy light with a chorus singing in the background* ... *sweatdrops* You're welcome. Anyway, you're the first to mention recognising the bird as Watson, even though it probably wasn't all too difficult to figure out when you actually know of/remember her existence XD Tiffany just got orders from higher-up and didn't really "want" to see the bird off. She just wants the imprisonned traitor dead and couldn't care less about the four escaped ones *can hear Tiffany in her mind screaming "DEATH TO THEM ALL!"* Oh, and classic is fun =D

**Sora Matasuki**: Eh? What makes you think I'll kill anyone in this fic? I'm not planning anything! *whistles innocently while hiding her drafts behind her back*


	28. Ch27: Holding Back

**After nothing better to do and some prompting from Alice Edogawa, I decided to update. I also fixed the mistakes in the first few chapters, plus the prologue. I'll get the next ten fixed some other time. **

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_Chapter 27: Holding Back_

The entire day had been a mish-mash of coincidences.

When she'd left the Agency that morning, she expected to simply get some groceries, go back, prepare and have lunch, then meet up with Sonoko sometime later in the afternoon. Rather than that, she'd stumbled on Saguru having a conversation with a not-so-polite lady (though she was really beautiful, she was amazed the British detective hadn't seemed fazed by her physique at all), been invited for a cup of tea, met his irreplaceable companion Watson, gone out to a restaurant with him (and he'd insisted on paying the entire bill even though she could have very well payed her share- the stereotypical gentleman, it almost made her giggle), and gone for a walk in Beika Park with him before the two of them leaving to meet up with Sonoko like she'd originally planned.

She'd learned a lot more about him during that time, too.

"...'Jay'?" Ran repeated, confused.

Saguru smiled. "My London friends, when I tried to speak about Kudo, were always confused about his name, eventually turning his name from 'Shinichi' into 'Jimmy'. But since we also had a Jimmy among our classmates, we ended up referring to Kudo as 'J'. I'd met Watson not too long after we opted for Kudo's final naming, so in the end she only knows Kudo as 'J', or 'Jay' as J-A-Y if you spell it out."

"That's a weird story," Ran giggled. "What about your name? Did they think yours was strange?"

"No, they thought it was funny, if anything," Saguru deadpanned. "What they actually decided was to strip my name from its first syllable, 'Sa', and kept 'Guru', which they found all the more hilarious due to my unique tastes in clothing and referred to me as 'Fashion Guru'. But since that was too long, they called me 'Fash', until they eventually forgot why they called me 'Fash' in the first place. I didn't deem it necessary to remind them."

"Western people sure have weird ideas for nicknames," Ran grinned.

"I couldn't agree more," he sighed. "And thank goodness the other three have never had the privilege of hearing that name- Kuroba would spend his entire life bugging me with it."

She laughed.

But if she thought finding Saguru was a fun coincidence, spotting Conan and Agasa walking up to the same bank they were (because Ran had to pick up some extra money) had been even stranger. And Conan took Saguru's presence as a very nice surprise.

"Ran-neechan! Sonoko-neechan! I didn't expect to see you here! And what are you doing here, Saguru-niichan?"

"I happened to run into Mouri-san this morning," he smiled. "I was in a delicate situation, and she came to help me. It was nothing particularly dangerous and a rather trivial matter, so don't worry," he added, seeing Conan's eyes flash with slight concern.

"So that means you're the friend Ojisan mentioned, right?" Conan asked, a little relieved. "Because when I asked him, he just said 'Ran is out having lunch with some punk who's face I've never even seen!', and started grumbling around, so I went to Agasa-hakase's."

"Tou-san tends to do that when he knows I'm out enjoying the day with a boy," Ran explained, turning to Saguru. "Especially if there's no one else around."

"He is just concerned for your well-being," Saguru smiled. "You are lucky to have such a caring father."

"I'm glad you've got such an optimistic view of her father," Sonoko snorted. "I think he's almost too overprotective. What's the big deal about her having fun with guys instead of girls every now and then? She'd never be able to have some romantic time with Kazuki-kun otherwise! Or even the other Kudo! Or maybe even you! What did you guys do today?"

"Sonoko, there's nothing like that between us!" Ran waved off. Saguru just chuckled.

"Nothing much, we mostly talked," he replied. "It was a good occasion to get to know one of my school friends a little better."

"Are you _suuure_ nothing happened?" Sonoko teased, smirking evilly.

"I already told you, we just went for a walk in the park," Ran said flatly. Next to her, Saguru blushed slightly, grinning a little sheepishly. Conan gave the blond teenager a deadpan stare.

"That, and he invited you out to a restaurant!" Sonoko snickered.

"I am not rude enough to send away a friend when we find ourselves to be in the middle of an interesting conversation," Saguru explained. "I rarely leave my home or meet anyone outside of the school grounds, her presence may have been mostly an excuse to go out and enjoy the sunlight a little. Even a bookworm such as myself could sometimes use some fresh air."

"Should I take that as having to make a mental note and send Shinichi-kun to you every now and then?" Agasa joked.

Saguru smiled. "I do not imagine him to be bored, but if he ever feels the need to occupy himself with something else, I have plenty of spare time. My door will be open and ready to welcome him any day." Agasa nodded in response. "And the same to you, Mouri-san, Suzuki-san, Conan-kun," he added, looking everyone in the eye as he said their respective names with a smile.

"I don't mean to interrupt you, but maybe we should start standing in line?" Sonoko suggested. "There's a reason we're all here, right?"

"Ah! Right," Ran nodded, and proceeded to walk into the bank with the others. Not too long into the line however, and she saw Saguru already crouching down to Conan-kun and having a whispered conversation with the bespectacled (and annoyed-looking) boy.

"Now that the boys aren't exactly paying attention, why don't you tell me the truth?" Sonoko whispered, almost snickering. "What do you think of him?"

Ran rolled her eyes and sighed. "Well, he's definitely _waaay_ more polite than Kazuki, and doesn't immediately ramble on about Sherlock Holmes and mystery novels and whatnot, but how does that automatically mean I also have to imagine a romantic relationship with him? It's not like I plan on falling in love with every guy I meet."

"Aw, but Ran-chan, you _deserve_ to have a great guy and be happy with him! I'm just trying to help push you in the right direction by hearing your thoughts on the guys you hang out with so you choose the right one! And Hakuba looks _real_ good, you'll have to admit."

Ran sighed and shook her head with a smile. She appreciated Sonoko's concern, but in the end the decision ultimately belonged to her and only her, didn't it?

She stopped in front of the counter and smiled at the person behind it.

"Hello, I would like to withdr-"

Her sentence was interrupted by the sound of a very loud gunshot.

_**xXx**_

A wave of shrieks and gasps flooded the room in the span of two seconds.

"Alright everybody, nobody move! This is a hold-up, and don't anyone dare think this is a joke, hear me?"

Conan shifted into something of a defensive position, quickly looking around. Then again, there wasn't much he could find in a bank that he could use to kick at them, though it would've definitely come in handy. He didn't like rash actions, but he would've liked to knock them out while they hadn't gotten complete control over the customers yet, just to make things easier.

"Conan-kun."

Conan looked up at Saguru, staring intensely at the newly arrived intruders.

"Stay close."

Conan frowned. Saguru knew he wasn't a kid. He knew that Conan wasn't the type of 'child' to need protection, even if his small body wasn't exactly the best for resisting against adults- much less when they were armed.

That's when Conan noticed Saguru's clenched fists shaking slightly.

"Stay close," Saguru repeated, not taking his eyes off the bank robbers even for a second, not even blinking.

Conan watched him for a little longer, nodded, and gripped Saguru's sleeve tightly.

"Alright everyone, get to the floor with your hands on your head!" one of the masked men shouted. Conan could _hear_ the evil grin. "If there's even one sign of resistance, I'll personally make sure you pay, got it?"

"Ran-neechan!" Conan hissed, watching as she and Sonoko kneeled down to the floor like the rest of them, though Conan was still holding Saguru's arm. The long-haired girl glanced back at him, listening. "I know you could knock them out any day, but _please_ don't do anything, alright?" He thought of Saguru shivering beside him, and added in much darker tones "These guys aren't holding a bunch of toys, they'll _really_ kill us if we do anything."

"Oi, twirp, what are you hissing over there, huh?" the talkative one growled, spinning around with his gun at him. Conan assumed by now that he must be the leader. The other customers around them whimpered in fear. "Spat another word and I'll leave a bullet in your head as a present!"

"B-Boss!" another one stuttered, not as confident as his leader, and continued quietly, not so quiet enough that they couldn't hear him. "Boss, I recognise that kid! He's that Edogawa boy that keeps showing up in the papers, the little kid that lives with the Mouris!"

"Eh, a celebrity, then?" the leader smirked. Conan frowned. The gun clicked, and Conan's eyes widened. "Maybe I should just get rid of you right now, in that case?"

"No!" Ran screamed, making to stand up.

"_Stay down!_" Conan shouted as he paled, and Ran froze.

The boss chuckled. "Smart boy. No wonder you appear in the news so often, putting all those criminals behind bars with your good old uncle Mouri and your kiddy-friends." His grin faded for a second as he noticed something. He then pointed at something with his gun, tilting his head a little. "You're supposed to have both hands on your head, not just one. Let go."

_Shit_. "Saguru-niichan isn't feeling well, so I'm trying to comfort him."

"I don't fuckin' care whether he's just scared shitless or sick and dying, I want both _your_ hands on _your_ head!"

Conan gritted his teeth and slowly obeyed. If he tempted him any further he'd probably let the gun go off, and whether he turned out as the target or not, he preferred nobody died that day.

"You," he nudged the guy beside him. "Keep an eye on the kid. If he moves even a tiny bit, shoot him."

"A-Alright," he replied, still hesitant, while the leader went to deal with the guys behind the counter.

Four men, armed, all confident and willing to kill- well, the last two had kept silent, so it was hard to tell for sure- except for the one watching him. Conan strongly suspected he'd been recruited recently and was doing this for the first time. He couldn't help but think that he shouldn't anger him too much- once your hands were dipped in blood, you couldn't wash it off, and Conan figured it would be best if this man could keep them clean while they still were.

Conan imagined all sorts of possible scenarios, ones where they came out unharmed, ones where some were killed...But either way, he couldn't take any risks unless some really good chance came walking by, or the others understood what he was implying and moved accordingly, also noticing that chance.

The second the leader turned away from the counter, Conan heard Saguru wince, and saw as he twitched and made to put his arms around himself rather than keep them on his head. Of course, the guy that was supposed to watch them noticed.

"O-Oi! Hands on your head!" he demanded, pointing his gun, hand shaking slightly.

Conan's eyes flashed. "Saguru-niichan! Just a little longer, okay? It'll all be over soon, I swear!"

"What's up?" the leader snarled, walking up to them. "Tch, stupid foreigner not feeling too good? Want me to give you relieve you from your pain maybe?" His gun clicked again. Conan started to panic.

"Saguru-niichan!" he continued, straightening a bit. "Remember the last time, when Heiji-niichan was with us? I know it's hard to keep it all to yourself, but it's okay to sometimes let go a little! So don't worry, okay?"

"Shut the hell up, you little runt!" And Conan doubled over as the guy kicked him in the stomach. Ran gasped. It hadn't been particularly hard, but it was enough that his little body couldn't take much of it. The man then turned to Saguru. "Alright you piece of shit, get your hands on your head before I blow it off. Or what, are you gonna try and make me believe you don't understand what I'm saying? Don't joke around with me!"

"Conan-kun, are you alright?" Ran asked quietly, worried.

"I'm fine," he replied, trying to smile a little. "It'll be even better if no one dies by the time they leave."

"Alright kiddo," he smirked evilly, "I guess I'll be generous and cut your suffering short. Why don't you show me your ugly face before you depart?" he added, gripping Saguru's hair and pulling his head back.

The rest happened rather quickly.

The leader's eyes widened slightly as he immediately let go of Saguru and backed a little. Ran and Sonoko were already half-way on their feet, the long-haired karate-master giving the main intruder a punch in the stomach- revenge for the little brother. Sonoko grabbed the first big, solid thing she'd found on the wall- a signboard of some sort-, and passed it to Ran without waiting another second. The confusion of the two on the other side of the room was enough that Ran had the time to advance with the signboard as a shield towards them, and knocked them out with a couple of swift kicks. The last one, panicking, was frantically looking from one accomplice to another, and to Ran. Feeling a tiny bit of compassion for him, Conan simply darted him to sleep with a satisfied smile.

_**xXx**_

"Thank Kami we managed to get away before the police came," Ran sighed, giggling.

"I wouldn't have minded being on TV," Sonoko huffed, arms crossed, despite the fact that she was grinning.

"You wouldn't, but I know _I_ don't consider publicity a priority," Saguru smiled.

"You're a mystery-geek and you don't plan on being famous? Are you _seriously_ trying to make me believe that?" Sonoko teased. The rest of them chuckled.

"I'm mostly surprised Conan-kun didn't stay to give testimony," Agasa admitted.

"I like Takagi-keiji, but not so much that I want to spend my life on a chair facing him and telling him about everything I do," Conan replied, rolling his eyes. Ran giggled again.

"And I am surprised that I have been picked on so much today," Saguru sighed. "What _is_ with everyone? 'Foreigner, foreigner'...Maybe I should dye my hair a darker color, nobody would notice the difference then..." he wondered, fiddling with a strand of his fringe and trying to stare up at it.

"Don't worry, most people aren't like that," Ran assured gently.

"Yeah, she's right," Sonoko agreed. "Besides, I think blond looks good on you!"

"Am I supposed to feel flattered or embarrassed?" Saguru joked, grinning and blushing slightly. Ran and Sonoko simply grinned back. "Well, either way, I suppose I should head back home now. Forgive me for leaving you in such a rude manner, but I do believe that I have had enough adventures for today..."

"Don't worry, we understand," Ran nodded. "I still have to get some money, so I'll probably go to whichever bank I come across next and hope it doesn't get robbed too," she smiled. "Sonoko-chan, are you also going home?"

"No, I'll stick with you," Sonoko grinned.

"Saguru-kun, since my car is right here, would you like me to drive you back?" Agasa offered, pointing at the yellow car no five feet away.

"I will gladly accept, if you see no problem with it..."

"I offered, so I doubt there are any," Agasa chuckled.

"Ran-neechan, can I go with Saguru-niichan and Agasa-hakase?"

"Only if Agasa-hakase plans on bringing you back before dinner," Ran winked.

"Okay!"

"In that case I shall see you again at school tomorrow," Saguru bowed slightly. "Mouri-san. Suzuki-san."

"See you tomorrow, Hakuba-san!" Sonoko waved as the two girls walked away. "Goodbye Agasa-hakase! See you around, squirt!"

"Thanks," Conan grumbled with a deadpan. Saguru chuckled. "And what the heck was up with you? You're usually so serious, and no two minutes ago you had a grin worthy of Kuroba plastered on your face!"

"Oh please, Kuroba is an exaggerated comparison," Saguru rolled his eyes, yet still smiling. "But I must say, I am quite surprised myself. I cannot remember many other times where I have felt so...laid back. Even the other three have rarely seen me try and relax."

"Well, try and relax more, a smile suits you better than a stick-in-the-mud face."

"Why thank you for your most valuable advice," Saguru deadpanned, getting into the car.

Conan chuckled, climbing onto the front seat. There was a very long pause as everyone got their seatbelts while Agasa started the car and began driving through the streets. Conan raised his head a little to look at the rearview mirror. Saguru was seated just right from him to be able to see him, and watched as the blond detective gazed absently out the window at the passing cars and buildings.

"Guess you're glad the situation didn't worsen, huh?" Conan commented, crossing his arms. Saguru simply blinked and glanced back at him through the mirror, not bothering to turn his head. "You're thinking that it could've easily turned to the worst, because being the only one of the four to have the genes of an actual predator, your blood tends to react quicker than that of the others, and that until now you've always relied on the presence of the other three to help you if your instincts took over. Having someone around that was aware of your standing, in this case me, was comforting, but I wouldn't have been of much help had it gone any farther, and so you are now mentally thanking Ran and Sonoko-chan for their reacting, which saved you even if they didn't know in what way. You're also trying to come up with a proper cover-story to explain your reaction when the robbers came bursting into the bank with their guns practically blazing so that you're prepared if anyone ever asks."

Saguru smirked and looked out the window again. "That, and also that I am not used to having people other than the three reading my mind. It would seem that we aren't detectives for nothing, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Conan smirked back.

_**xXx**_

"The bird got away."

She didn't look up at him, nor did she smile. "I see," was the only reply she could give.

A pause.

"I didn't think it would ever come to this..."

"...I did. I've known from the beginning that this would happen."

"You mean the bird escaping?"

"No. But I know what the higher-ups are thinking of it, and the consequences of it on me."

Another pause.

"Redwood won't be happy."

"No, he won't. But there's nothing to be done now. I'll accept my fate. That's all I can do."

"...He'll try to-"

"I know what he'll try to do. I won't let him. Not when others still need him. More than I do, anyways."

"..."

"...Why are you here, anyway? I thought you didn't care about me anymore."

"What you believe is up to you alone. What you figure out is something different entirely."

"No intention of giving me a straight answer?" she smirked.

"I can't. Even though I would tell you truth..."

He turned away from the cell, his long silver hair swaying behind him, his blue eyes out of sight, as he started to walk away.

"...I also wouldn't."

* * *

**Seems everyone is a fan of Watson now after the previous update XD**

**I'll just say this again, and probably again in about seven chapters or so (random number, don't actually expect it), but thank you **_**so**_** much to all those who've supported me up to now by reviewing, to Chu-chan (Mangaluva) for her opinion and occasional beta-ing, and to those that don't review but still read anyway XD I really really appreciate your being here- especially if you managed to stick with me this far- and hope you'll still be by the time this fic ends, because it makes me feel like I'm finally able to do something that people actually care about.**

**Thank you. Rant over XD**

* * *

**Marie Ravenclaw**: Well, here's also the fact that I could probably put more effort into updating more often, so I'm partially to blame too.

**Daisuke Kazamatsuri**: ...Yep, I felt the drought too. Which is why I updated. I figured I don't get any updates out of it, but at least others will be happy XD And, well, I tried to make the Heart something you can't think of when you try to guess, but that seems obvious once you know what it is XD

**Kayla Edogawa**: Oh hey there, welcome back to the review section! And WPBIO STILL TOTALLY PWNS EVERY FIC IN THE DC SECTION, even if there are lots of other good fics 8D *ahem* I'm not sure about the canon characters being in character, seeing how they tend to slip out occasionally (Saguru was being particularly OOC in the previous chapter, but I guess just the one line managed to tone it down a little, thank goodness I put it there xP) As for the OCs, I'm still struggling to put them in as much as I can without making them overshadow the canon characters. I'm glad if they haven't yet. (PS: I checked. Last review was on Ch14. That was so awesome I laughed XD)

**A Smiling Cat**: Very much so. Remember when Akako saw his scars? She thought that maybe he'd been cursed, but she couldn't think of any witch that would curse someone like him without any reason save for one. That would be Chijumon. The fact that Chijumon didn't know him, and mentioned that he wasn't even cursed, just adds to Akako's questions x3

**Nequam-tenshi**: Since this fic seems to revolve a lot around birds, even though it wasn't supposed to be the main issue of the story, I figured I would try to make Watson a little special. The three others also have feathery companions, but none of them were released, and probably won't be after the Dark Ring stupidly lost Watson XD

**Chelseaj500**: I'm not sure how I write all this. But I've just always assumed that it's from giving in to insanity 8D

**Angel's Detective**: Soon. Very soon XD

**Animegirl1987**: I'm glad I can seem to make everybody's day with an update XD I really appreciated your review- of course I always love reviews from anyone, there's no trying to claim otherwise- but what I enjoy most in reviews is people telling me what's wrong about my fic, and if not, then what's _right_, and what makes my story worthwhile. I think it's great when readers point out mistakes, or something that doesn't make sense (unless it was wanted), but also what it is that I should try to keep on doing. As for this story bringing DC into a new light, I think I'll just blame it on the fact that it's an AU- and I've got tons of those still up my sleeve, if you're still around by then and want XD

**Idia199**: Oh, hello there! I saw you adding all sorts of oneshots to your list, so I was wondering if you'd eventually get to this one or not- I'm glad you did XD And yeah, I know I still have some mistakes to check up in the early chapters, I just never got to doing it. I should. I also found the symbolism for magpies to be a happy coincidence, or Kaito would have continued to live on as Raven- not necessarily the worst comparison, but Magpie definitely suits him in more ways than just his fetish for shiny objects, I think I even gave a link a few chapters back that explained the various reasons why Kaito is Magpie. You're right, Sparrow does suits Conan too, doesn't it? But when I thought of Heiji, he came across as a bit a social person to me, and sparrows despite not being domestic birds are still very man-friendly, so that's probably why I chose that. Thanks for your review, I hope long replies don't bore you out XD


	29. Ch28: Escape

**Long Author Note at the end. Beware.**

_Chapter 28: Escape_

"She escaped."

Redwood spun around and blinked at him.

"What do you mean, 'She _escaped_'? Who did? How? When? Don't tell me-"

"Yes,_ her_. You know what I'm talking about."

Redwood jumped up from his chair. "That''s impossible! She _can't_ have escaped! Not without-"

"Outside help, I know. The higer-ups suspect you might be behind all of this- again."

"Sorry buddy, but I didn't have the time to," Redwood spat sarcastically. "I was messing with the blueprints of the hideout thinking of a way to get her out until you trodded in telling me she'd vanished before I even had the chance to stand up and shout 'Eureka'. Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to go and see her cell myself." And Redwood pushed him aside.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Of course I don't!" Redwood replied angrily, practically stomping away towards the cell under the watchful pair of grey eyes. He leaned against the wall, lighting a cigarette.

"Ah well...it doesn't actually concern me, anyway."

_**xXx**_

It was dark. It was cold. It was raining. Her clothes were soaked. Her entire body was shivering. She tripped several times as she ran, hopelessly, helplessly, out of breath, ignoring the occasional people still outside at this time of hour pointedly staring at her as she raced by.

She had tried to end everything. Instead, she was shown a way out. A second chance. A miracle. She was running, tired enough she was about to collapse, but running nonetheless.

Things had really taken a turn for the unexpected.

She tripped, again. She couldn't be bothered to get up this time though, panting like she'd overworked her lungs and muscles. Well, judging from the sate of her blurred vision and mind, she probably had. Her eyes flitted over to the gates right in front of her face, and the manor that stood right behind it. On the first floor she could see a teenager yawning on turning off the last light in the house.

_I made it._

She slowly smiled before letting herself drift into darkness.

_**xXx**_

"Conan-kun!"

Conan put his book down in order to look up at Ayumi. The given rule of 'Don't Bother Conan When He's Reading' was powerless in the face of the 'Never Ignore Ayumi' rule.

"What's up?"

"Did you hear the news today?" Mitsuhiko interjected. After all, now that Conan wasn't glued to his paper-friend, he could talk to him.

"You mean the huge lab explosion from last night?" Conan asked with a sigh, looking back at his book.

"No."

"The bank incident yesterday, where some teenage hostages took down the robbers?"

"No."

"The disappearance of the taxi driver?"

"No."

Conan blinked up at him.

"...Don't tell me you're talking about the divorce of that stupid rich couple."

"But Conan-kun, we're not talking about television news!" Genta threw in. "We're talking about news of what's gonna happen here in school!"

"I don't pay attention to that kind of stuff, how do you expect me to know you're talking about school issues?" Conan deadpanned. He closed his book with a sigh and put it on the corner of his table.

"Alright, tell me what's up."

_**xXx**_

"I've got a bad feeling."

Heiji turned and blinked up at Tracy, who was staring out the window. He snickered.

"What, because Rouya-chan didn't do anythin' t'ya yet?" he grinned teasingly.

"No, I feel it too," Arina countered, making Heiji jump as he watched her approach and stare out of the window as well. He'd never seen her frown that way, nor take such a serious tone for any topic other than Felix. "And the last time something like that happened..."

"I know," Tracy muttered with a nod. He was just as serious as Arina, and Heiji was honestly starting to feel creeped out.

"Man, th' two of ya must be real close if ya can feel the same as the other at th' same time," Kazuha smiled, leaning her face on her fist. Tracy squeaked as his face flushed deep red within a split second, Arina either didn't hear or downright ignored her comment.

Heiji frowned and stared out the window as well, feeling more than slightly concerned as he watched the raindrops racing their way down the glass. What in the world were the two of them feeling that could turn such seemingly carefree teens so serious?

_**xXx**_

The second Shinichi and Ran entered the classroom together, they were welcomed by a wave of cheers and wolf-whistles. They staggered to a halt, surprised by the common reaction. Next to Ran's seat, even Sonoko seemed surprised by their classmates' sudden change of morning attitude, which pretty much ruled her out from being the cause of the commotion when she normally would have been.

"What gives?" Shinichi blinked, staring at the crowd of grinning students.

"Don't pretend like nothing happened!" one of the guys snickered.

"We all heard the news," another continued. "A detective and a karate champion managed to take down the criminals and save the hostages during a bank robbery yesterday afternoon."

"You guys sure make a good team, don't you?"

"Oh, you mean that incident?" Shinichi smiled. "Hakuba told me Mouri-chan did a very impressive job, and that Suzuki-chan's initiative was also extremely brave and smart." Shinichi's smile broadened at the priceless looks on everybody's faces at the unexpected mention of Saguru's name and Sonoko's. Sonoko even blushed when she heard the compliment. "Not to mention the fact that the single presence of Conan-kun seemed to make them shake in fear."

"Now that I think of it, they did seem more wary of Conan-kun than anyone else..." Ran muttered, thinking back.

"Who wouldn't?" he chuckled. Then Shinichi's eyes suddenly widened as he thought of something, and slapped a fist on his open palm. "Oh, I get it! You guys are all jealous of Kazuki and are all looking for a new victim to get Mouri-chan's attention, aren't you?"

Shinichi's remark was immediately followed by a mass of coughs and splutters from the boys, and bursts of laughter from the girls.

"I win," Shinichi grinned gleefully, turning to Ran. She blinked at him before turning away so she could laugh.

_**xXx**_

"It would seem that I am not the only one to give the news some attention."

Kaito blinked up from the papers he was holding and gave his blond friend a deadpan glare. Akako smiled with a certain amusement as she watched them from her seat.

"Just because I'm not a detective with all sorts of obscure references in mind doesn't mean I don't feel like knowing what's going on in the world we live in," he replied flatly, before taking on a more social tone. "Anyway, did you read about the science building that blew up? One of the guys accidentally mixed up the wrong ingredients together, and now the entire place is in ashes." He looked back at the newspaper he was holding, scanning the article over again. "The media thinks there could be repercussions on the health of citizens that live near the destroyed building, but expert scientists say that the only health obstructions should come from the large amount of smoke possibly inhaled."

"Considering I am not a scientific expert, I cannot exactly give an elaborate opinion," Saguru answered.

"Thank goodness, because you tend to twist your sentences so much they become an absurdly long monologue," Kaito said casually. Saguru pretended he didn't feel the least bit offended.

"Kuroba-kun!" Aoko scolded him. "Seriously, couldn't you try to be nicer with him?"

"Meh, he's used to it," Kaito replied offhandedly, turning to the next page of the newspaper. "Besides, the two of us are friends, it's not like he's gonna do a one-eighty on me and suddenly hate me or something."

"Your idea actually sounds rather appealing, Kuroba."

"I know, but you still wouldn't do it even if your life depended on it," Kaito snickered. "We can complain all we want, but if you take one card away, the entire castle crashes."

"What do you mean?" Aoko blinked.

"What Kuroba-kun means to say is that they're so tightly bound together that if one of them leaves, it'll leave all of them feeling empty," Akako explained, joining them. Kaito's brow twitched.

"Damn, it's the witch," he muttered, deserving himself a burning glare from Aoko.

"Your explanation is quite correct," Saguru nodded to the red-haired girl. Akako put her hair behind her ear and smirked.

"I tend to spend time around riddle-speak a lot, this was a piece of cake."

"Guess everyone has to have a hobby..." Kaito mumbled darkly. Aoko finally gave him a swat on the head.

_**xXx**_

Toning out the voices of the others had been more difficult than usual, since they were adressing him directly. Images were flowing into his mind again, clearer than the usual ones, telling him to pay attention. Trying to aknowledge the vision without closing his eyes to fully see it was even harder.

He could vaguely see the board, the one he kept away from curious eyes, the one with the rainbow pawns and the blood-colored garnet. The whites ones on the outside, the black ones towards the inside. Four of them were clear, one of them shrowded in mist, and the last one...

_She's coming_.

Despite knowing he would get confused looks afterwards, he couldn't help but smirk.

_**xXx**_

"Looks like the last of your little kiddies left, eh?"

He barely glanced up at her. Evacuating the headquarters for the second time in the span of two months and transferring once again all the members, research, tools and materials, hadn't been an easy task, especially since it had to be done quick. He was tired, and a little at a loss.

"...First one of my close friends' daughter, her body considered a failure because she showed no genetic changes..." he muttered absently. "...Then Husky, a shy little boy that was thrown away because he disagreed with the Dark Ring's teachings...then Jay and Mag, who vanished without a trace roughly two months ago, taking Sparrow and Hawk with them...And now..."

He warily blinked up at Tiffany, who simply watched him with the most neutral face she could pull off.

"I don't know what to think. Should I be happy? Should I be worried? Should I be angry? Of course I want them to come back. But her life was supposed to end today, and theirs would also have sooner or later when the higher-ups discovered their ideals and decided to get rid of them like they did with Husky...maybe they're better off out there than in here."

Tiffany snorted.

"So what? Are you gonna stop the Dark Ring from searching for them?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "But I'll stop looking for them. I won't try to make them come back...but if the Dark Ring finds them again, I won't complain, either. I've had enough of losing people I hold close. If they come back I'll only lose them all again."

"Says professional sniper Redwood who's only killed so many others on the Dark Ring's orders," Tiffany noted sarcastically with a smirk. "Well, not that I care. I agree with you about them being better off out there, but for different reasons. Hopefully they'll be killed while they're at it, too. Useless is useless, and that will never change."

"What about Sokoke?"

Tiffany tensed slightly at the name, and immediately made to frown.

"She got what she deserved," she spat hatefully. "Just because she was one of _us_ doesn't mean she wasn't different. Besides, trying to sacrifice her life for_ that_-"

"Sokoke was trying to help her sister," Redwood interrupted, subtly pointing out the importance of the word 'sister' without actually emphasizing it. "That was all."

Tiffany glared at him for a while longer, before she 'hmph'-ed and walked away.

Redwood sighed, and returned to his room to wait for the next mission.

"_Where_ is _she_..._?_"

_**xXx**_

"Ne, Suiyami-san..." Keiko started, looking at the HDC. "I know it's been two weeks now, but how did you get to be with Kori-chan?"

Judging from the deadpan look on Kaito's face, Saguru supposed he was thinking "_Why is that the only thing girls can think of?_"

Felix blinked once, his face as void of emotion as ever, before staring down at his lunchbox, apparently thinking. Next to him, Kori was soundlessly giggling. At the same time, Shinichi was packing his things up so he could attend the usual soccer practice, and Ran made to accompany him so she could watch him play for once.

Felix raised his head to look at Keiko again.

"We have known about each other's feelings for a long time. I am certain most of you noticed without us saying anything or making any particular signs."

"But why didn't you date her sooner?" Sonoko asked, almost shocked. "True love should never be delayed!"

"True love never wavers no matter when it happens," he replied with a slight smirk. "As you have surely realised, I refused to bring her any unnecessary problems, namely with those ridiculously jealous girls that consider me untouchable. Also, I know Rouya-san does not exactly approve of me, and I did not wish to anger her more than my sole presence already did." Arina rolled her eyes at his comment.

"I've never heard Suiyami say so many words one after the other in the span of two minutes, that's usually the amount he spews in an entire week," Kaito muttered to Heiji, who simply nodded. Saguru heard that, but made no comment.

"You promised you'd protect her when I'm not around, so I decided to believe you for now," Arina said, without looking at him.

"If anyone lays a finger on her, including you, they'll be dead before I have the time to decide otherwise," he answered. His tone had been so dark and murderous it sent shivers down Saguru's spine. But if Arina's smile meant anything, she found his reply to be a perfectly acceptable answer.

_**xXx**_

He dared a quick glance at her. After she'd been introduced, she wordlessly rushed next to him, sat down, greeted him without even so much as an attempt at eye-contact, and hadn't spoken to him since.

Either way, he wasn't sure he liked her.

_**xXx**_

Shinichi had gotten a lot better at enduring backslaps and headlocks and hair ruffling and hugs from his teammates. He almost even enjoyed the contact, the acceptance, despite the fact that he'd only been attending school for a month now and they still had no idea who he really was, or _what_ he was. He pretended he'd been living overseas, but they still treated him like someone who'd been living in Japan his entire life. They also very consciously knew he wasn't Kazuki, but they still felt like they'd somehow partially gotten him back. Within two or three practice runs he'd caught up with whatever soccer skills Kazuki had, and they were impressed at how similar they were, of course, in their way of playing. One of them, Aizawa, admitted he would've loved to have both Shinichi and Kazuki on the field and see how well they would've done playing together. Shinichi smiled weakly, not really giving an answer. But they all knew Kazuki was a touchy subject when Shinichi was around, so they didn't insist or mention him too much when Shinichi was within hearing reach. Sometimes Shinichi would give them quiet, subtle signs of gratitude to keep the charade going. Telling everyone he got along with Kazuki was like admitting all sorts of things that were or weren't true, and Shinichi figured it would be easier to sort things out properly once Conan got his original body back.

After Nakamichi once again left him in charge of closing up the changing rooms, Shinichi went to take a quick shower before changing back into his uniform for the afternoon, Ran patiently waiting for him outside and ready to compliment him on how good he played.

She hadn't even asked him why he was the last one out.

_**xXx**_

"...Did you do that kind of stuff too?" Shinichi asked, later that night, when it was dark and past dinner time.

"_Actually, yeah_," Conan replied, from the other end of the phone. Actually, screw past dinner, it was way past Conan's bedtime. He had to sneak out of his shared room with Kogoro and hide in the Agency so he could call. "_That's probably why none of your teammates actually ever said anything about it and just assumed were more similar than we want to admit_."

"It's not that we're not admitting it, it's that we're pretending like we aren't," Shinichi chuckled.

"_Yeah, well, it's not like anyone else knows_," Conan snorted. "_Aside from that, there's something I need to warn you about. Could you come to Agasa-hakase's tomorrow after school?_"

Shinichi blinked. "Eh? Sure, I planned on going there anyway, and having the other three tag along."

"_You mean all of you are coming?_ _Shit, I was hoping I'd just get your opinion first_."

"What's up?"

"_Well, you see, there's this_-" Conan paused. "_Ran's coming_," he muttered quickly into the phone, and promptly hung up. Shinichi raised an eyebrow, listening to the repetitive beeping for a moment, before putting the object in his hand down.

He sighed. He'd have to wait until tomorrow to figure out what Conan wanted to 'warn him' about.

_

**Slightly shorter than what I've been doing recently, and I'll admit also a little rushed. I kinda wanted to get this part over with XD And I've got exams coming up, so yeah, mostly trying to get this out of the way before I drown in hell.**

Chu-chan pointed out that I didn't say why Shinichi is the one to close up the changing rooms. I mentioned it in a much earlier chapter, but for those that have been following this story for a long time probably don't remember considering it's been nearly_** a year-and-a-half**_**. I know I mostly emphasized the scars on Saguru's back, because those are the ones that have been shown and that Akako knows about (since she's the detective in the whole who-are-these-guys mystery), but you have to remember that the other three **_**also**_** have them due to their wings.**

Also, in slight contrast with the Thank You note in the previous chapter, I would like to warn all of you that I've got most of the fic planned with a few eventual additions, including the end. It's gonna have lots of action, it's gonna have a very fast pace, it'll be like watching the epic showdown of a movie that lasts five minutes, but I'm warning you now- it's _**not**_** gonna be all pink and rosy. There's the final chapter/epilogue to make it better, but you might hate me before that, so if you're worried you might be (very) disappointed in my writing, you can either stop here or continue at your own risk.**_

**Alice Edogawa**: You're welcome XD

**Marie Ravenclaw**: Yes, his eyes _are_ a mystery, aren't they? *grin* And the story about Shinichi-Jimmy-Jay was a happy coincidence. I don't particularly like the name either, but using it to explain the name "Jay" was just too tempting XD

**Daisuke Kazamatsuri**: Huh, good point, I didn't even think of that XD I've already got Saguru's wings set in the timeline and don't really plan on changing it since it'll drag us into a plot point that doesn't feel like it should be moved, so yeah XD

**Katara Falcon**: Eh? I do? Really? XD Thanks, I always do my best =)

**Chelseaj500**: I also thought it should happen more often, so I put it in. I mean, with all those cases he keeps solving, with Kogoro or without, you'd think the criminals _know_ by now who the hell that kid is.

**Animegirl1987**: I read the manga as soon as it's out on DCTP and collect the books (Volume 63 just came out recently here XP), and the movies are the only Conan-related thing my brother will watch with me. 14 had us laughing our heads off, and yes there IS a 15 (but you'll have probably learned about it's existence somewhere by the time you read this XD) And I know about the story dragging on, I noticed it too *pulling off a Gosho here*, but I also can't just keep jumping from one plot point to another, because otherwise it's too fast XD But I think that the slow updating also plays a part in the 'dragging' impression. I'm sure if I updated every day, the story would seem like it's going much faster XD

**Kayla Edogawa**: *pats* It's not like I'm gonna hold a grudge against you, dear, I can think of other people that haven't reviewed since earlier chapters, and haven't gone spamming their inbox about it XD And if I didn't consider my OCs awesome, I wouldn't have included them in the fic in the first place XP

**Sora Matasuki**: Thanks, I hope you're breathing again now XD

**A Smiling Cat**: XD Well, you see, I have another chapter that's ready after this one, but I've hit a major writer's block, so I'm glad I kept my chapters aside instead of updating them all at once...So until I reach the end, I probably won't be updating any faster XD

**Nequam-tenshi**: Don't worry, I didn't forget her. She's right around the corner.

**Idia199**: You do? Seriously? *makes a whooping noise* (I mean, I know not everyone skips it, but it's still nice to know people DO read them XD) I think Saguru is awesome on a general basis, though I'm pretty sure I wrote him anything but In-Character in this fic XD Ran is pretty easy for me to write because we're kinda alike (motherly behaviour, scared of non-existent stuff, waiting two years for her best friend to fess up-). And the nickname thing was just an awesome coincidence. Of course I wouldn't let that run away right under my eyes XD

**Kisuminight**: You're right, it isn't really. I keep giving small insights to show they're still hunting their birds down, but BO is still BO and won't go shouting at every street corner that they're from a secret society looking for escaped members XD I also love Saguru a lot and wish he'd show up more- though I can only think of three appearances from the top of my head right now, instead of five...


	30. Ch29: Fukuro

_**Love and warmth is in the air, **_

_**Red pink and white everywhere, **_

_**Passion makes- **_**waiddaminute, this feels like déjà-vu!**

**...except I don't have a double-update for you this time. I think writers block sucks too. Sorry.**

**Anyway, I figured it was about time I inserted a new potential future plot device, so here is.**

* * *

_Chapter 29: Fukuro_

Conan glanced sideways at her as they walked together from school all the way to Agasa's house.

"You know there are a few guys coming over, right?"

"Kudo-kun, Kuroba-kun, Hattori-kun and Hakuba-kun, right?" she smirked. "Agasa-hakase told me a little bit about them."

"Like what?" Conan could only hope he hadn't told her _too_ much about them.

"Well, that strange as they may sometimes be, they're actually pretty nice people. Kuroba-kun acts a little sugar-high and likes to prank others a lot, but he never does anything to hurt people. Kudo-kun talks to Mouri-chan a lot, because he feels more comfortable with her despite the fact that she probably sometimes thinks of him as his brother instead. Hattori-kun and Hakuba-kun fight a lot, but when things get rough they shove it aside and save it for later."

"...Yeah, that pretty much does sum it up..." Conan muttered with a deadpan. Apparently, Agasa hadn't gone into details, and he was thankful for it.

"...But I'm really interested in meeting those teenage friends of yours," she added. Conan blinked at her, and she just smirked back at him. "They sound like fun."

_**xXx**_

"We're here!" Conan heard from the front door, several hours after he'd arrived himself, and made to greet them with a smile.

"Hattori, Hakuba, how are you?"

"Doin' good, what about you, kiddo?" Heiji grinned at Conan's dark scowl.

"Where is Agasa-hakase?" Saguru asked.

"He's still fiddling with something in the other room," Conan replied. "What about Shinichi and Kuroba?"

"Next door, they're puttin' our bags away," Heiji shrugged. "Kuroba ain't got a choice unless he wants ta end up gettin' home at one in th' mornin' so he's stayin' overnight anyway, an' Kudo just suggested we stay too."

"Are you guys that hard to separate?" Conan snickered. This time it was Heiji's turn to scowl, but despite Conan making a little fun of them he was really glad the four of them kept sticking together so much. It reminded him of the Shonen Tantei, in a way.

"Oh, hello there," Saguru smiled as he saw a girl about Conan's shrunken age walk into the room. Her bored blue eyes just looked back up at him.

"Eh, nobody told us there was gonna be another visitor!" Heiji blinked, surprised.

"Guys, this is my new classmate, Haibara Ai," Conan introduced. "She transferred yesterday."

"Cool! I'm Hattori Heiji," he grinned, lifting his cap slightly.

"My name is Hakuba Saguru", Saguru bowed politely. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure is mine," she smiled. Conan could see a spark of interest in her eyes as she seemed to study them.

"We still got two friends comin' over, I hope ya don't mind too many new faces at once," Heiji informed.

"I'm fine," she replied.

"How were your first two school days?" Saguru inquired.

"They were okay."

"Did you make any friends yet?"

"Him," she pointed at Conan, but subtly, not the rude way kids normally did. "And the others from the Shonen Tantei."

"What's the bet they're gonna drag her inta all sorts of crazy stuff?" Heiji snickered to Saguru. "Are ya interested in detective work?"

"Not particularly."

"I suggest ya do if ya want ta stay sane with _those_ kids," Heiji grinned. "Do ya plan on findin' other classmates ta be friends with?"

"No, I'm fine with Conan-kun."

"She seems to have a thing for you, does she not?" Saguru smirked, a little teasingly.

Conan deadpanned. "We've got our reasons."

Heiji blinked. "Like what? Ya only just met her!"

"We're here!" Conan heard Shinichi shout into the building before he could open his mouth to answer. The two blue-eyed teens closed the door behind them, and after the first step they froze. Conan watched them for a moment, confused.

Until he realised the girl is who they were staring at.

"This is my new classmate, Haibara Ai, she transferred yesterday," Conan repeated for them. "Haibara, these are-"

"I know who they are," she interrupted him, smirking. "My, my, who would've thought I'd find you guys here...Enjoying the sky, boys? Why don't you get your heads out of the clouds and greet me properly?"

Shinichi's reaction was a blink and a bright smile, Kaito's was an overjoyed grin and a leap that nearly pinned her to the ground. Conan, Heiji and Saguru gaped at the scene.

"Kuro-chaaaaaaan!~" he cooed, reminding Conan of a male version of Yukiko. Heck, the magician was even _hugging_ poor Ai. "It's been so long!~"

"K-K-_Kuro-chan?_" Conan spluttered.

"You're just as lively as I remember," she sighed in exasperation, though her slight smile was a genuine one.

"Wait, ya mean ya _know_ each other?" Heiji half-shouted, disbelieving.

"Dear dear, and there I thought we were in deep trouble..." Saguru shook his head with a sigh.

"Why is that?" Conan blinked.

"Dark Ring members have a certain...'aura', let's say, that only another Dark Ring member can feel," Ai explained. Kaito nodded to support her claim. "The moment they walked in, I felt their aura...and they probably felt mine. They just didn't say anything. You were probably hoping I was one of those that can't 'feel', weren't you?" she added, looking up at Heiji and Saguru. Both nodded.

"But still, why is it that the two of you know her?" Saguru wondered, turning to Shinichi. He couldn't count on a cuddling Kaito too much.

"It's from _way_ back, over ten years or so," he started. "Toichi-otou brought us to a place we normally didn't go to, and at some point he let us run off to play while he spoke with someone else. It was probably still in one of the Dark Ring areas, now that I think back on it...but we ended up coming across this girl we'd never seen before and that looked just like us, and we asked her to play with us." Heiji's and Saguru's eyes widened.

"I don't see any resemblance aside from the bored look Kaito has when he's told he can't prank someone," Conan commented flatly. Ai and Kaito just shot him a deadpan glare.

"No, it's got nothing to do with family resemblance," Shinichi chuckled. "What I meant is that she's one of us. One of _our kind_."

Conan just stared at him in confusion for a second before it suddenly dawned on him as to what he meant.

"Oh, so he knows?" Ai asked. Then she smiled a little. "Well, that makes things easier. Now I know that I have absolutely nothing to hide from you, mini-Kudo."

"Oi oi," Conan deadpanned.

"Ne, Kuro-chan," Kaito whined, "why are you so small, anyway? You still look like a kid, I thought you'd be our size after all those years!"

She smirked. "APTX4869. The very same poison that your shrunken friend here was forced to swallow."

"So you willingly took a pill that would turn you into a kid?" Shinichi frowned.

"No." Her smirk vanished. "The reversal of growth cells is only a rare side-effect. Until I took it, Kudo-kun was the only subject to have presented this result. All other subjetcs having been forced to swallow the poison died."

Shinichi frowned. "Then what made you decide to take your own life?"

Conan had heard the story from her own mouth already, so she explained why she'd taken the pill, but even he hadn't immediately noticed the obvious suicide-attempt if she hadn't taken the it to shrink back to a child. He was almost a little surprised that Shinichi did.

"My life ended up getting pretty messy after you left," she shrugged. "Since I'm one of you, they figured I'd have a sort of sixth sense to find you, the same way you four are capable of finding each other, but since I'd only met the two of you once, I didn't have it. They eventually gave up after suspecting me of protecting you for a long time. Then my sister died for unexplained reasons. I wanted to know what happened, and decided to stop working until they told me. Their solution was to lock me up. A couple nights ago they gave me a last chance to prove my loyalty, and had me send off Watson with the order of finding you."

"Watson?" Heiji blinked, before turning to Saguru. "Ya mean she's back?"

"I planned on telling you all, but I had other things on my mind as of late," Saguru nodded. "So, does that mean you are the one to have asked Watson to break the tracker?"

"No, all I said was 'You know what to do'. She was perfectly aware of the situation without me needing to tell her anything. Your friend is very smart. If she had the vocals for it, I wouldn't be surprised to know that she'd already more or less gotten the hang of human language."

"What happened next?" Kaito asked.

"Since they couldn't locate the tracker anymore, and that Watson never came back, they figured I must've given her some sort of hidden message, determined I was a traitor, and announced that I had only a day to live. Instead of waiting for them to kill me, I thought it would be better for me to take my own life with a sample of the poison hidden in my pocket. It obviously didn't quite have the effect I expected, so I fled through the air shaft I was just small enough to fit through, and came here to find the only other person to have survived."

"But...how did you know he was alive? How come the Dark Ring doesn't know anything?"

"That, once again, was my overly generous doing from fiddling with data," she finished, a smirk back on her lips.

"Well, I'm glad you're here and alive, Kuro-chan," Kaito grinned.

"I appreciate you valuing my life, Magpie," she replied. "But I would be grateful if you could stop clinging to me."

It was the first time Conan noticed that Kaito still hadn't let go of her since he'd flung himself at her, even if he wasn't crushing her in a hug anymore.

"But why? You've had such a hard time in the Dark Ring, of course you'd need some comforting!" Kaito said. He smiled sadly. "I wish we'd known about you right away, then I could've dragged you back to Ekoda as my little sister."

She shook her head, smiling back. "Thanks for putting me so high on your friend list, but I'm fine here. Besides, Agasa-hakase already agreed to let me use his basement lab for experimenting on the APTX and finding an antidote. I think it'll be easier for me to concentrate on my research here with most of the necessary material already available."

"Ai-kun, I finished them!" Agasa announced cheerfully as he walked up to the lot to everyone's unexpectance. "Hello boys, it's good to see you all again!"

"Good evening, Agasa-hakase," Saguru greeted politely.

"What did you finish?" Shinichi asked. Agasa smiled and held out a batch of pills on his palm. Conan had no idea what they were, but the taller teens gasped in shock at the sight of them.

"Those are...!" Kaito breathed, staring intensely at the little things in Agasa's hand with wide eyes.

"How th' hell didja get somethin' like that done?" Heiji wondered, incredulous.

"I gave him the recipe to it," Ai replied. "Since I spent a lot of time working on those, I know the contents of the pill like the inside of my pocket, so it was easy to have Agasa-hakase recreate them."

Conan deadpanned, but held back his scowl. He didn't like being kept in the dark, and everybody clearly knew what those pills were.

...Oh, wait. That's right. Those were the pills the guys took to hide their wings.

"Wait, you mean you're the one that made- that _invented_ this?" Shinichi blinked.

"I was one of the Dark Ring's best scientists, despite also being one of the youngest. I spent most of my time working on these pills, since I was alone to do them, but didn't have much of an occasion to develop them properly since the APTX was a more pressuring project even if I was doing it with four others. I was important enough that they'd codenamed me 'Sherry' after a while."

"Our Kuro-chan in the higher ranks?" Kaito beamed. "Awesome!"

"Since when am I _anyone_'s 'Kuro-chan'?" she said, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms.

"You've always been!" the magician grinned. "Or did anyone else call you that other than us?"

"No, you're right," she replied. "You two were the only ones creative enough to give me such a nice nickname."

"Admit it, you would've secretly been pissed if someone else had started calling you that," he snickered.

She shrugged. "No one's ever tried, so I wouldn't know what to tell you..._Tsuki-chan_."

Kaito blinked, stared, and blushed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you gave us names too," Shinichi chuckled. "I can't remember mine, though I'm not sure I want to know what it was."

"Suit yourself," she shrugged again. "I'd love to keep talking to you, but I'm not very good at 'catching up on things' since there's not much to catch up on, and getting back to working on the antidote for the APTX sounds like a good thing to do." With that, she turned away and headed for the basement. "Call me when you're leaving, I'll at least be polite enough to see you off."

The guys all waited until she'd vanished down the staircase, staring, until Heiji broke the silence with a sigh. "Man...she's a nice girl, but a bit creepy an' shares the title "Master of Sarcasm" with Kudo-kun."

"Oi oi," Conan muttered, shooting him a deadpan glare.

"But still, I am rather surprised," Saguru continued. "I always lived believing that the four of us were the only ones of our kind- after all, she was never with us, even in the early years of our education."

"So ya think maybe she ain't th' only one we don't know about?"

"Exactly."

"No, there aren't," Shinichi disagreed. "Not alive ones, anyway. When we came and asked Redwood about Wing Project they were using us to test on, he was surprised we knew about her. He explained that she was the daughter of two very important scientists he didn't know very well, and that that was the reason she wasn't raised with the rest of us. But it was supposed to be a secret, so we weren't allowed to tell you about it. He mentioned something about 'You're the only five left, so they're keeping one aside in a less dangerous section in case something happens to you and your two friends'. So counting us makes four, plus her five. I highly doubt there are any others like us."

"But he still said 'You're th' only five left', right?" Heiji pointed out. "If that ain't a very obvious implication ta say that there were others, then I don't know what it is."

They all remained silent for a moment, thinking.

Until Kaito bounced to his feet with a bigger grin than necessary. "So, on a brighter note, who wants their teacher to get a confetti shower during their lesson tomorrow?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes, Heiji snickered, Saguru started scolding him a little, Conan shook his head with a sigh and Agasa smiled and left to get them a few drinks. Though eventually despite the various reactions each of them started musing on which teachers deserved to have Kaito's judgement crash down on them, and all the different ways in which it could happen. Conan stayed out of it in case Kaito seriously took all of their suggestions to heart (which he probably did), because even though he didn't particularly hate his teacher, he was pretty sure Kaito would find a way to give her a surprise anyway, and he didn't want to have to be the only one to know that a high-schooler came the whole way just to be able to pull a prank on the poor unsuspecting lady. The teachers from Teitan High probably expect something like this to eventually happen. Teachers from Teitan Elementary, not so much.

They continued to hop from one subject to another late enough that Yukiko had to come and fetch them for dinner. Agasa went to go call Ai while Conan feel victim to a cuddle-session by his overly-adoring mother before watching Heiji and Saguru also being subjected to a hug and assuming that Shinichi and Kaito had gotten theirs when they'd first walked in to drop off everyone's bags. Agasa came back up, followed by the strawberry blonde-haired girl, which also ensued in introductions (Conan was almost jealous she didn't get a hug. Almost) and Yukiko sweetly telling her that she could go over and visit any time. The four teens were then rushed off, with the excuse of dinner getting cold while they hung around too long.

Conan just watched them be half-pushed to the neighboring home with a deadpan.

"Sometimes I'm just not sure what to think of my parents," he muttered.

"I think you have a very nice mother," she smirked.

"You only just met her, try living with her instead..._Kuro-chan_." Aside from a short deadpan, she didn't seem that fazed. He turned to her entirely. "Why did they call you that, anyway? So far, I thought pretty much anyone in the Dark Ring could be associated to 'black'."

"I'm not sure either," she replied, a very subtle smile Conan barely noticed tugging at her lips. "I just always assumed Mag was referring to the color of my wings, even if 'dark brown' would be more accurate."

"Then, what bird are you?"

"Barn owl."

Conan blinked.

"Eh? But barn owls are-"

"I know. But I'm sure you've heard of 'melanistic' barn owls."

Conan blinked again, staring at her some more.

"...Oh."

There was a pause. Eventually, she shrugged again.

"Well, rather than having you call me any names I was given in the Dark Ring, I would like for you to stick to calling me by my cover-name."

She turned to head for the basement again, giving him a smirk on the way. "I'm counting on you, Edogawa-kun."

Conan waited for her to be out of sight and hearing-range to sigh.

He went to inform Agasa that he was leaving as well, and began walking back towards the Agency, thinking about the whole new situation and how to cope with it in case something happened.

Well, that was just great. Now he had _five_ people to worry about instead of four, and to top it off, he was now directly in charge of one of them. Yep, just great.

Life wasn't making it easy for him. At all.

* * *

**Yanno, my normal revelation procedure would've been to start the explanation, then go "screw it", and demonstrate instead: **

_**"I don't see any resemblance aside from the bored look Kaito has when he's told he can't prank someone," Conan commented flatly. Ai and Kaito just shot him a deadpan glare. "No, it's got nothing to do with family resemblance," Shinichi chuckled. "What I meant is that she's-" Before Shinichi could explain, Ai suddenly collapsed, gripping her shirt. **_**(Cue pain, panic, blood and feathers) Something like that.**

**...Did any of you think it was weird I suddenly changed that, or did nobody notice? XD**

**And if you're curious about what color Ai's wings are, if you type "black barn owl" in Google Images you'll find both the normal color and Ai's color.**

* * *

**Cheseaj500**: I like to think I have a good sense of humor. But maybe the criminals don't recognise Conan because Gosho believes that the poor kid would otherwise be screwed.

**Alice Edogawa**: It's not the end of the world, but it's not a happy end either. It's nice to know you'll keep reading anyway XD

**Daisuke Kazamatsuri**: Timelines are useful. ...Usually. XD

**MeitanteiShinichi17**: *starts reading review* "I'm really growing to love this story." That's nice~ "Plus, I finally caught up." *pauses and looks up at penname for the first time* Oh, that explains it. Hi there! XD *cough* Yeah, I like making my fic a big mishmash of everything. I really love to focus on character development, but someone's already pointed out that I may be doing a little too much and making the fic drag out... The end is gonna be kinda like a huge catastrophe where things gradually get better later. But yeah, not entirely happy ending. (And I like being distracted.)

**Marie Ravenclaw**: *pats* I know. That author note was to remind you, and to warn anyone else that might be like you. As I told Ichi-chan just above, it'll be like a catastrophe where things gradually get better later. But somehow I'm still pretty convinced you might hate me when we get there. I like splitting characters, but I can't go and do that with everyone either. Assuming you were talking about Ai and Shiho in your review XD

**Kisuminight**: Did you copypaste your previous review or something? I know it's been about a month, but I did feel like I was living a déjà-vu...XD About the birds companions, yes the others also have them, but I'm not sure about them finding their way into the fic. I might have to write an omake dedicated to them and post it somewhere XD

**MidnightSushiNinja**: ...Wow, I didn't think a reader could ever feel so ashamed about not reviewing. *pats* It's okay, I'm not mad XD It's not like I come and spam someone's inbox because they haven't reviewed in a while or something... I think "Shinichi" sounds like "chinny tree", but that's not really a name, is it?

**Nequam-tenshi**: Who knows? =P


	31. Ch30: Fakerthday

**Now that Ai exists, back to random filler chapters.**

* * *

_Chapter 30: Fakerthday_

Another week had come and gone. Back when he was in the Dark Ring, Shinichi had never paid attention to time- every day was more or less the same, never boring, but never very exciting either. He just figured that that was how life was, a day was a day, and the years had gone by without him even really noticing.

But now that he was out in the sun (or in the rain, as it so happened to be- he seemed to sometimes forget that the weather could also be in an unhappy mood every now and then), he could see how time was flying by. He'd left the Dark Ring around two months ago, and started school with Kaito, Heiji and Saguru a month after that. April had finished just a few days ago, and before being free Shinichi would have never imagined enjoying himself as much as he was now.

After Ai's appearance last Friday, Shinichi had gone to see her for a little bit every evening to see how she was doing. She'd flatly accused him of acting like a mother obsessed with her child's well-being (which only made him laugh), but he knew she enjoyed his company, and having a familiar face around. She'd only been away from the Dark Ring since the night before, and hadn't had as much time to adapt and gather knowledge like the rest of them had. Of course, she had Conan to help her out if anything were to happen. Well, then again, Shinichi wasn't sure she was as clueless as he and his friends had been- she didn't seem to ask any questions about the outside world, and just went with whatever society threw at her face. He admired that, but he was also a bit worried about her. Well, it was Thursday again, and with a little luck he'd be able to hang out with her and show her around the town during the week-end. Maybe.

"I'm leaving!" he announced to his home as he opened the door with a bright smile on his face.

"Have fun, Shin-chan!" Yukiko yelled back before Shinichi closed the door behind him, passing the gates and breaking into a run.

_**xXx**_

"Kudo-kun?"

Shinichi blinked as he was ripped out of his thoughts, and turned to Ran.

"What is it?"

"That's what I'd like to ask you. You looked pretty distracted."

Shinichi shook his head. "Don't worry, it's nothing particular."

"Is it because I upset you earlier?"

"Nah, I'll admit I overdid it..." he smiled sheepishly, thinking back at the incident earlier in the morning. He'd shown up at the door soaking wet after forgetting the existence of umbrellas, and while Conan made him step inside Ran had gone off to get a towel for him to dry off, and Kogoro had come to see who came in. Almost immediately ensued a long argument about whether or not he was Kazuki, and Ran looking at him with a suspicious glare while defending him didn't help much. He was surprised he'd _actually_ felt annoyed, so when he brought sarcasm to a whole new level Conan had to eventually jump in and make him stop by saying in the most child-like voice he could muster "But I believe you, Shinichi-niichan!". They took a little more time to sort things out after that, and the two teens finally left together despite Kogoro's complaints. Now, after spending two hours in the library, they were sitting in a restaurant poking at lunch.

Shinichi grinned. "Actually, I was remembering how people would usually confuse me with Kaito back in California. We were worse than devilish twins."

"Devilish?" Ran blinked. "I agree that you and Kaito look amazingly alike, but..."

"Do you have _any_ idea how many times we made use of that?" he snickered, remembering things the two of them had _actually_ done back in the Dark Ring. "One of our favorite games was to pretend we were the other and get in trouble, and then see if the grown-ups could figure out who was the real one at fault. They would miss more often than not." The last part wasn't true, considering they had their wings to tell them apart when they were younger and the special pills weren't invented yet, but they probably would have had a harder time figuring ou which was which if it weren't for that.

"I'm surprised that you used to support his antics, even as a kid," Ran admitted. "I thought you'd be a little less...reckless."

"Oh, I know I look a mature and serious," Shinichi smirked, leaning slightly forward as he put his chin against his hand, a malicious spark in his eyes. "But the truth is, I'm as bad of a troublemaker as Kaito. I'm just better at holding back."

"...Kudo-kun, you do know that I'll never be able to see you in the same light after this."

Shinichi just laughed.

Just then, Ran's phone rang. She jumped slightly before grabbing her handbag and digging through it. The second she found it, however, the ringing stopped.

"Ah, missed it," Ran commented blankly, staring at the screen. "It was Sonoko, I'll call her back later."

"You can call now if you want, it could've been important," Shinichi shrugged.

"Are you sure?" she asked, and when Shinichi nodded, she smiled, a little embarassed, before getting up and going outside the restaurant. He watched her absently through the large glass window as she spoke to Sonoko over the phone.

_You know you think she's cute._

Shinichi raised an eyebrow, looking around him. Nobody around him liable to have said that. He wasn't sure, but the voice sounded like Arina's for some reason.

_Admit it, you like her._

"_I already told Mouri-san I couldn't touch her_."

_And you're just gonna sit there and not even try?_

"_She's already waiting for someone else. And he's waiting to return to her too_."

_She could very well change her mind and chase after you instead._

"_I hope she doesn't_."

Ran hung up and walked back to the table. Shinichi smiled slightly.

"..._Or else I might be tempted to be selfish and steal her for myself after all_."

"So, what did she say?" Shinichi asked, trying to shut the feminine voice out of his mind. Why the hell had he started a conversation in his mind with that voice, anyway?

"Kaito wanted to come for a surprise-visit, but he got lost and didn't have a phone to call you, so he was lucky Sonoko happened to see him wandering around," she giggled. "They're at your place right now."

"Oh dear," Shinichi sighed. "Well, might as well head back then."

"I'll come with you," she smiled.

_**xXx**_

"_SURPRISE!_"

Shinichi came to a halt at the sight of a colorfully decorated home and an army of familiar faces.

"Welcome home Shin-chan, and happy birthday!" Yukiko chirped happily as she pulled the blue-eyed detective into a hug. Shinichi on the other hand couldn't help but stand and stare in shock.

As soon as Yukiko let go of him, one of his classmates tugged at his sleeve and dragged him further into the manor.

"Come on, come on, don't just stand there and stare!" he grinned. "Everybody's here, see?"

"Yeah, I see that," Shinichi replied, still looking around at everyone. "I'm just..." His mind reeled back, a little slower than he would've liked, to Yukiko's greeting, then to what day it was. "...I'm just, well, _shocked_. First because of all you guys being here-" every single person smiled or grinned "-and secondly, because I'm thinking '_Damn, is it that time of year again?_'" As expected, Shinichi's comment made his classmates laugh.

He scanned the people over and noticed that there were a few from other classes too, like Aoko, Kazuha, Kori, Arina and Tracy (oh dear), Keiko, and pretty much the entirety of his soccer team as well. Either way, there were _a lot _of people, and as big as the place was, Shinichi was almost surprised they'd all managed to fit in without crushing each other. They couldn't even stand all together in the same room.

"Alright, so I've got more or less ideas as to who planned this, but I'd rather be sure and ask who's responsible for the surprise party," Shinichi chuckled. To his surprise, the same classmate- Sawada- pointed at several people rather than just one.

"Kuroba, Suzuki, Mouri, and Nakamichi are the main brains of this scheme," he said, "but a good half also thought of it, it's just that nobody really did anything until they were recruited by one of the first four."

"I've known Kaito too long for that to surprise me," Shinichi sighed, while Kaito stuck his tongue out at him from where he was standing. "Suzuki-chan sounds like the kind of person that would do that, I just didn't think I'd be one of the honorable victims." Sonoko looked more or less pleased after she'd figured out that Shinichi had made a compliment. "Mouri-chan isn't too much of a surprise either, since she'd be one of the first to remember my birthday without me even telling her. As for Nakamichi-"

"I don't need to hear it, just seeing your face when you walked in was totally worth it," he grinned, most of the others smiling in agreement.

"Shinichi-niichan!" a small voice called out, and soon enough the blue-eyed detective saw the shrunken teen push his way through the swarm of legs.

"Conan-kun, you're here too?" he smiled.

"Yeah! I was just using the bathroom, so I missed you coming in," he replied sheepishly. "But Ai-chan is here too!" And from behind him another child figure was dragged through the mass.

"I'm only here because _he_ forced me to," she explained quietly, crossing her arms. Shinichi leaned over her a little.

"Well, that's okay, isn't it? I know you don't know anyone, but I'm sure you'll still enjoy being here."

She blankly stared at him. Kaito was better at reading her face than he was, but he assumed she was glad to be here anyway or she'd have already gone back to Agasa's basement.

Shinichi straightened again, looked at everyone, and grinned.

"So, who wants to party?"

_**xXx**_

Since there were a lot of people, it was hard for Shinichi to focus on everyone, especially since they were all trying to take turns in speaking to the "center of the party", including the ones that hardly ever talked to him. But Shinchi was trying to share his time with each of them so none felt left out, so it went both ways. And Kaito constantly hovering around him wasn't helping things, mainly because he was very good at getting his brother's attention, and worse, sometimes even getting him to act along with him.

One of the biggest jokes had started off with Shinichi casually speaking with Ran and Sonoko, and Kaito suddenly shouted from behind him: "ANIKI'S GOT A CRUSH!". Obviously, most went silent and turned to see. "Who's the lucky one?" someone asked. Kaito grinned, "It's Hakuba!", and the blond detective just a little farther off spat out whatever it was he'd been drinking while everybody else burst into laughter. Soon enough, the entire lot was speculating about Shinichi's wildest love-interests, ranging from Heiji to Ai (Ran immediately told them off about involving children when they were around, while the girl just blankly stared at the blue-eyed detective) to an elephant to a rock to mythical creatures. By the time they reached aliens, Shinichi finally decided to intervene by claiming that "The only alien in this world that I'm willing to fall in love with is Kaito, you hear?", almost unevitably followed by a sketch between Kaito melting to Shinichi's confession and Shinichi spouting more cheesy love lines from drama plays, finishing with the two of them literally waltzing around and then out of the room after someone jokingly started up some music.

Other events included Sonoko trying to stage an accident where Ran and Shinichi kissed, Heiji and Tracy having a swordmatch (the latter was better than one would expect), Koji and Sawada having a drinking contest, Kaito and Arina teaming up to spread havoc, and Shinichi officially declaring Conan as his hat- which also became an excuse for when came the time to blow the candles on the cake.

"You're my hat and I demand that you blow the candles with me!"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Don't argue, just do it."

Thus Shinichi and mini-Kazuki blew the candles out together.

Next, they all voted to have a soccer match in Beika Park.

Most of the girls stayed to the side to watch, umbrellas over their heads, the last few forming a team with whatever boys were ready to play. The actual soccer club split into two to even out the teams. Shinichi grinned, excited about starting a game with his classmates and his closer friends Kaito, Heiji and Saguru. It quickly faded into a simple smile.

Something was wrong.

Nakamichi shouted out that the game was to have their team keep the ball for as long as possible since there were no nets, and that all safety and main soccer rules such as "no hands" applied.

Shinichi was feeling sick.

_Three. Two._

He felt dizzy.

_One._

_**xXx**_

Whithin the split second where Shinichi collapsed, Heiji, Kaito and Saguru all rushed over to him. He imagined that Saguru must've observed Shinichi's odd behaviour the last thirty seconds before Nakamichi shouted "Game Start!" the same way he did, and that Kaito had probably felt it instead. None of them had expected Shinichi to actually crash to the floor.

Being the closest, Heiji got there first.

"Oi, Kudo!" Heiji called, lifting Shinichi's head to a more comfortable position. "Can ya hear me?"

There was a slight moan, but Heiji couldn't tell if that was supposed to be a response or not.

"Hattori, do you think it might be that?" Saguru asked, arriving with Kaito.

"Wouldn't he have stopped the game and warned us?" Heiji replied. "I ain't sure if it's that or just a regular case of passin' out..."

"Do you think he can see or hear us?" Kaito wondered, a little worried.

"That's what I was tryin' ta figure out."

At that point, most of the people had caught on and gathered around them.

"What happened?"

"Is Kudo-kun okay?"

"Why did he pass out?"

"If there is a place you can take him, I suggest you do," was the sentence that stood out in Heiji's ears. He turned his head to look at the little girl standing near him, staring at the unconscious teen. "As soon as possible."

Kaito gave a slight shudder. "Alright, I'll take him-"

In his arms, Heiji felt Shinichi's body pulse. He paled and stared up at his two friends.

"She's right, it's gettin' bad."

Saguru cursed. "Why did this have to happen now, of all times?"

"Wait! What's going on?" Ran asked, also a little pale.

"I'll carry 'im, Araide-han lives right around the corner," Heiji said, ignoring her for now. The others would come up with something once they were gone. "Help me get 'im on my back, would'ya?"

"Hattori!" Kazuha called, as Saguru and Kaito both hauled Shinichi over his back. "Are ya sure ya can carry 'im all th' way there by yourself?"

"He's a friggin feather, even Jinamai could carry 'im. And I ain't a wimp either, getting 'im to Araide-hans's is a piece a' cake."

Heiji gave Shinichi another haul to get a better hold.

Shinichi pulsed again.

He gave a nod to everyone and ran.

The rain had gotten a little stronger, and was soaking them. Heiji felt like in some kind of anime with something even more drastic about to happen than what Heiji already knew was going to happen. He didn't like this one bit.

"Ha...ttori..." Heiji heard from behind, Shinichi's murmur immediately followed by a pained wince and a death grip.

"Hold on just a little longer, we'll get ya ta Araide-han's soon! We just got outta th' park!"

"No...ttori...hide..." he panted, clinging even more than Heiji thought he could.

Unwilling to argue, Heiji cursed and quickly jumped between whatever trees were still nearby, quickly zigzagging past a few of them to get to a more foresty-looking area that would hide them just enough from bypassers.

He slowly let Shinichi slip off his back, still holding him so he didn't fall face-flat in the mud.

Well, here was his "even more drastic" scenario. Shinichi, in pain, in the rain, hidden between trees, his wings about to go through a growth spurt, and no house to rest in or walk around in freely once he woke up. Heiji wasn't too happy about that.

He pulled out his phone to change that.

"Tomoaki-han?" Heiji asked before the person on the other end could answer. "This is Hattori- I'll explain later, but I'm currently hidin' between a few trees in Beika Park with a sufferin' and barely conscious Kudo, and unless we want some people ta start a gossip about aliens we could really use a ride. See ya later."

Short, and a little rude maybe, but he was more worried about Shinichi's condition. Even in a regular situation they'd all be worried, but the way Shinichi collapsed was slightly abnormal, and didn't help Heiji at all.

It only took the doctor five minutes to arrive in the area with his car. A little pointless, but Heiji still looked around one more time and made sure the by now unconscious Shinichi wasn't likely to be found before slipping away toward the car to quietly motion for the doctor to follow him. He was glad when he saw him pull out a towel of some sort to clean off the blood, and a large blanket to cover his back, because Heiji hadn't thought of it when he called. The two of them took another five minutes to take care of the teen and carry him to the car, so they could get to the Araide's home and lay Shinichi in a bed until he woke up again.

Hikaru had been particularly sweet and made it her job to watch over him, even though Heiji knew it would probably take another hour until he opened his eyes. When Yoshiteru started yelling and asking for her to do some work, Heiji rushed over to help instead. He was obviously anything but happy about that, but Heiji's reasoning had been:

"Considerin' I ain't a one-time guest an' that I'm hangin' around for nothin' in exchange, I think I can at least be helpful an' do some of th' stuff Hikaru-chan does too. I ain't askin' ta be paid, th' hospitality ya've been givin' me is more than enough."

As expected, Hikaru came back down from Heiji's bedroom to annouce that the blue-eyed detective had woken up. It was also around that time that Kaito decided to call.

"Yo, Kuroba. Whazzup?"

"_Checking in on Aniki_," Kaito replied. "_As you can probably tell from the massive chattering behind me, nobody left_."

"Yeah, I can hear 'em."

"_Well, even if we explained the situation to them, they decided that no one would leave until they knew if he was alright_," he laughed. "_Hakuba and I had to stop them from all trodding in at Araide-sensei's while he was still out cold_."

"That's good, I'm sure they'll appreciate th' thought," Heiji chuckled.

"_So, is he awake yet?_"

"Yeah, he's awake now," Heiji smiled, watching as Shinichi slowly came down as well, colorful wings out and stretching, before eventually grinning. "Yo, Kudo, wanna tell everyone yourself about havin' ta stay sick at home for three days?"

Shinichi stopped and blinked at him. "...'Everyone'?"

"Yup. Your guests're all at your place, an' waitin' ta hear that you're alright."

Still vaguely confused, Shinichi grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

Judging by the fact that Shinichi had to pull the phone away from his ears, Kaito had put the conversation on speaker phone so the others could hear him, and everyone had tried to ask him how he felt.

"Whoa whoa whoa, one question at a time, please!" Shinichi half-begged, before shotting a deadpan glare at a snickering Heiji. "...Anyway, I'm feeling better now, but that doesn't mean I can go out. I'll have to stay at home for a few days. Yeah. ...Yeah. But seriously guys, I..." Shinichi blushed, "...I'd have never imagined you'd all stay and wait to know if I'm okay, I mean I really- shut up, Hattori-" he managed to say in between, Heiji still giggling madly, "-it really does mean a lot to me, because...well, as I keep saying, I haven't actually been here for that long. So, yeah, thanks everyone. I promise I'll be back to school in no time, okay? Get back safely everyone, see you in a few days!" Shinichi waited for another few seconds before hanging up.

Shinichi's grin right then was priceless, and totally worth handing the phone over.

_**xXx**_

"You're still here? Even though it's almost midnight?" Shinichi chuckled when he saw Conan as he finally got back to the Kudo manor.

"Yeah, I told Ran that I wanted to stay over at Agasa-hakase's."

"He supposedly wanted to spend time with his new friend the transfer student," Ai continued, earning herself a deadpan from Conan. "But, since I'm also still hanging around, I guess it doesn't matter."

"Aw, how sweet of you!" Shinichi replied with a grin. It was Ai's turn to deadpan. Soon they'd have to start counting how many times a day each person made that face, he decided. "So, I'm guessing you all had dinner?"

"No, we were waiting for you," Saguru smiled.

"_Again? _Why does everyone seem to constantly wait for me as of late, am I really that slow or something?" Shinichi said with a mock-angry tone.

"Well duh! Of course we'd all wait for you on your Fakerthday!" Kaito huffed, while Heiji burst out laughing and Conan looked up and mouthed the word with a confused face, to which Saguru simply shrugged and shook his head and Ai smirked.

"Fine, fine, everybody grab something to eat," Shinichi grinned. "I'm tired as hell, but I'm not letting anyone go to bed on an empty stomach!"

They didn't have a full dinner and instead all went munching on various snacks, but by the time they'd decided to head for the bedrooms it was already one in the morning.

"Aniki, are you sure you're tired?~" Kaito asked pleadingly. "I'm still full of energy!"

"I know we're supposed to be teens, but even I have my limits," Shinichi chuckled, sitting on the bed. Kaito threw a pillow in his face, pouting and telling him to go ahead and pass out.

"Ran forces me to bed by nine," Conan deadpanned.

"I usually go ta bed around midnight or so," Heiji muttered, thinking.

"Only idiots stay up that late and manage to stay spunky all day," Saguru replied. He somehow managed to deserve himself a pillow in the face as well. "...Oh, is this supposed to be a fight?" he asked calmly, smirking despite the death glare directed at Heiji.

"Pillow fight!~" Kaito cheered. With a fingersnap, he made another set of pillows appear next to him, and flung one of each at everyone. Ai was the only one who smoothly evaded the flying object by keeping a blank expression, while Conan went and ducked behind something that would keep him out of aim-range. Heiji grabbed the next pillow and pushed Saguru to the floor, Shinichi sloppily threw one towards Kaito. Next Saguru managed to free himself from Heiji's grasp and threw the pillow out of his hands, making it drop on Shinichi.

Conan peeked out of his hiding spot. "Guys, do you realise how immature you're act-" He'd almost finished his sentence when another pillow came flying at him and hit him flat in the face. He immediately picked it up and pounced on Heiji with it for revenge.

"I'm leaving," Ai announced blankly, another pillow magically bypassing her body. "I'll be at Agasa-hakase's if you need me." And she closed the bedroom door as she left.

"I've got you!" Shinichi grinned as he managed to scramble over to Kaito and pin him to the floor. Next he dug his fingers in the magician's sides shouting "Tickle attack!" and making him shriek and plead for him to stop. And for some reason Saguru blushed furiously when they ganged up on him next and gave him the same treatment.

By the time Yukiko finally came to check on them, they had already eventually all collapsed from exhaustion at the same time, all sleeping on the ground in a heap and somehow staying close like kittens huddled up to keep each other warm. She smiled and gently dropped a blanket over them as best as she could before turning the light off anf closing the door.

* * *

**(I have no idea where Araide actually lives. Putting him near Beika Park was simply convenient.)**

**Finished just in time _ I wonder how I'll manage the next chapters...XD**

* * *

**Marie Ravenclaw**: I dunno what my next fic is going to be. I'll have a poll up by then asking who wants what, because I just have too many plans XD I'll be taking some out, adding some more, right up until this one is finished. And I'll probably add "Marie-safe" at the end of the ones you hopefully won't hate me for XD For Ai, truth is, I wrote the first line, threw my hands in the air, went "SCREW IT!" and wrote it this way. Thought it was better XD

**Chelseaj500**: ...True ._. Why did Gosho never use that? XD

**ShihoShVG**: Oh, good, I feel better knowing that I didn't write something that didn't make sense XD I seem to enjoy making unlikely pairs in this fic for some reason. Most pairings will be canon, of course, but when I think about it, almost_ anything _could work in here. Not kidding.

**Animegirl1987**: I have a lot of awesome insights =w= *totally not modest there* And yes, I've got tons of awesome stuff waiting to be written, I just have to get to it XD But, I'll admit, I'm also scared of how the readers will react to them ._.

**Kisuminight**: It's alright, it just had me confused for a moment and I thought I'd make a comment about it XD Yes, there are other groups. I slipped in a very small hint at some point about Tiffany also being a Subject, and Redwood making a comment about someone called Husky. Or, further back into the first chapters, Shinichi explaining to Conan how he became friends with the other three, "_We ganged with the kids we thought had something in common with us. Mainly appearance, because we all had this one thing that told us apart._" I don't have a list of genetic mixes that were made, but yeah, there are a good bunch of other groups around. Also, Ai's wings have also been affected by the APTX, meaning they've shrunk along with the rest of the body. The wings are a part of her body- she was born with them. Any other questions? =3

**Daisuke Kazamatsuri**: At first I just thought of an owl in general, but later remembered that there are tons of owl breeds and that I'd have to choose one XD I went for barn owl because in my opinion it had the prettiest wing-color. Finding a "melanistic" barn owl was just another coincidence that I'm happy I found XD


	32. Ch31: Invert Day

**SURPRISE!**

* * *

_Chapter 31: Invert Day_

When Ran stepped out that morning to go to school, she was very surprised to see Shinichi waiting at the bottom of the steps that led to the agency, especially considering that he was ten minutes early and normally as slow and lazy in the morning as Kazuki was. When she saw that the teen detective was as excited as a little boy about to open a large Christmas present, she wasn't sure if she should be curious or worried. Because, really, knowing him and Kazuki, they were never excited about school, so that probably wasn't it.

"You're early, Kudo-kun," she said, trying to start off normally.

"Sure am!" he replied happily and loudly. "Come on, we have to go to school!"

"Kudo-kun, what are you so excited about?" she asked. _Now_ she wanted to know. Rather than answering, Shinichi broke into a fit of giggles.

"Oh Kami, I can't wait!" he muttered exciedly. She wondered if she should be scared by now, seeing as he seemed ready to burst at any second.

Worse was the fact that throughout most of the trip, Shinichi very often ended up half a street ahead of her. After a while she decided she'd rather just go ahead and run along with him instead of trying to slow him down, firstly because it didn't work very much and secondly because she was really curious as to what Shinichi was thinking. By the time they reached the school gates, Shinichi had only started going even faster and gone straight into the building and up to the second floor where their classroom was. Except that he'd gone into the 2-B's instead. Still close behind, she watched Shinichi burst into the almost empty classroom aside from for the presence of Kaito, Aoko and Saguru.

"Aniki!" Kaito half-screamed at the sight of the detective.

"Kaito! You know what day it is today?" Shinichi asked, his grin getting even wider than what Ran would've thought possible.

"HA! As if I could ever forget!" Kaito beamed. "Today is..." He couldn't even finish as the two of them were nearly doubling over of mad giggling and giddiness. Not too long after however they both _squealed_ the end of the sentence like two horribly obssessed fan-girls of something.

"..._Invert Day!_"

"Oh heavens no..." Saguru whimpered quietly, bringing a hand to his face. Shinichi proceeded to mess up his hair while Kaito flattened his. Ran turned to Saguru, but Aoko had beaten her to it.

"What's 'Invert Day'?" she asked.

"A nightmare," Saguru replied flatly. Ran looked back at them and saw that they had swapped sides. Or more like that they had turned into each other.

"Hey, Kaito, Invert Day means we're sitting in each others seats, right?" the messy-haired one asked.

"You bet!" the other grinned. "Are we going to ruin each other's personalities?"

"I don't think I could ruin yours no matter how hard I tried."

"Sure you can! You just have to be a prick like Hakuba and then it's perfect."

"Oi," Saguru protested with a deadpan glare.

"And you? What are you going do?" the fake-Kaito asked.

"Oh, you know, things like making doves appear out of nowhere, magically making classmates changes seats, and randomly taking on other people's voices."

Just as he said that, Felix walked in with Arina and Tracy close behind. Though the two others had just looked inside for a moment, fake-Shinichi piped up at them using Arina's voice: "Nice weather outside today, right?" Tracy freaked, Saguru and the girls stared, Felix continued his way to his seat seemingly unfazed, and fake-Kaito was literally rolling on the floor laughing. Fake-Shinichi looked like he had never been more proud of himself.

"This is gonna be awesome," he grinned, using his normal voice again.

_**xXx**_

Thinking back on these past couple weeks, Heiji was wondering how long they could continue to keep their act up.

The day after Conan's birthday (and Shinichi's fake-birthday), Saguru had practically slammed the bedroom door open, waking everyone up and warning them that Ran had arrived and that Yukiko was distracting her in the kitchen. Panic somewhat ensued, and Shinichi had to grab Conan and make a run for it by putting a long coat on to hide his wings, jumping through the window and quickly hiding over at Agasa's after running through the pouring rain for a few seconds. And then, apparently, those few seconds were enough to soak his shoes enough that Ran noticed some wet footprints when she went to go find Conan at Agasa's, and due to the vague answers she was getting about who they belonged to she began to suspect something. After that, Shinichi had to avoid her and run out of the front door again, and the entire day escalated into a giant cat-mouse chase with Ran trying to track Shinichi down, and him desperately avoiding her. According to Kaito, who went to find him, they walked into a costume shop and somehow ended up going to an Anime Convention after being dragged there by some little girl who though they looked like characters from an anime called "Chronicle" something. The most disturbing part, Shinichi told him, was when they came across this guy that looked_ exactly _like Gin, but had such a bright smile you'd have to be dumped in a reversed world to believe it was really him (at that point during the story, Conan and the four of them had all shuddered). Things had calmed down during the next day, though, with Shinichi taking his pill and going back to school like everyone else. His classmates all asked if he felt better, and Ran didn't say anything about hunting around to find him.

The next day, Nakamichi invited Shinichi to go watch a football match between the Tokyo Spirits and the Big Osaka during the week-end to see what a professional match looked like. Since Heiji happened to be next to them when Nakamichi asked, he was offered to go as well, and he accepted. And, of course, his wings decided to have perfect timing and show up the very morning he was supposed to get ready, and he had to call Shinichi to let him know he wouldn't be going. According to Shinichi, Nakamichi seemed somewhat confused, and despite simply going with "Okay, too bad then", he had looked like he'd been thinking whenever the match wasn't going, and even eventually asked if whatever made Shinichi sick was contagious. Apparently Shinichi just chuckled sheepishly and told him that it would have to be a pretty big coincidence for them to have the same health issues, and while Nakamichi didn't say anything else he looked like he'd been convinced but still kept a shred of doubt aside. Shinichi added one last "You're probably over-thinking things" when they left the stadium to try and stop Nakamichi from, well, over-thinking things. How well it worked, they didn't know. But Nakamichi had acted pretty normal when Heiji saw him again after that, aside from being pumped about practice after seeing that last match, and Shinichi being several steps ahead of him as far as excitement was concerned. It kind of made him grin when he saw that they could still be fired up about the match despite the whole "why-is-Heiji-sick" part even though it wasn't that important.

Then there was still the issue of what it was that happened to Shinichi that time. Usually it was just sudden pain, tell the others if they're there, eventually crash to the ground and roll around in agony until the wings pop out and then either faint from pain or pain relief- Heiji never knew which one it was, since he usually passed out before he ever got to know. When he saw all the colors get flushed off Shinichi's face, he knew something was up. But he didn't expect Shinichi to drop unconscious like that. Judging from the fact that the two others had immediately jumped up as well they'd also noticed- Heiji had been too lazy to calculate the odds of all three of them watching Shinichi at the same time, he just knew they were extremely slim- and, well, the situation in general had been strange.

Then there was Saguru. His pill had yet to wear out, after what was now a full year, and the stress was constantly rising. They hadn't been on best of terms to begin with, but Saguru had gotten even snappier at him lately. Of course he didn't appreciate it, but he couldn't blame the guy either. The rest of them were lucky enough to more or less know when to expect their private "medication" to wear out, but Saguru had no indication as to when or where it would happen. And chances were, with how long the pill has lasted, the side-effects of his wings coming back would be worse than anything they've experienced before. He couldn't help but imagine Saguru, who's usually so calm and organized and acting all cool, secretly shivering in fear everytime he gets home after school with no one to tell him what'll happen next and if he'll make it out of this mess alright. Usually Heiji just wanted him to just shut up if he didn't have anything less insulting to say to him, but sometimes he really wished Saguru would snap at him a little less and confide in him a little more instead. Saguru was his friend, dammit. And truth be told, it probably scared him as much to it scared Saguru himself.

And then, lastly, there was Araide.

"Hattori-kun, I know your knowledge in Biology are more advanced than those of your classmates, but I demand that you please stop being so distracted," the teacher scolded.

"Sorry..." he mumbled, straightening on his seat and going back to staring at the board. The teacher paused, watching him a moment, before eventually deciding on going back to explaining her lesson.

The young school doctor had taken the week off to give himself time to recover from his father's murder. Heiji had been elsewhere at the time, sleeping over at Kaito's, and Conan had been the one to solve the murder using the voice of Ran's father. He'd hadn't particularly liked the old man, but it had still come as a shock to him when Araide gave him the details of the case, as well as the "secret" details that were to never be brought up, not in court, not at home, and most especially not in front of Hikaru.

There were so many things that Heiji wasn't sure he could focus on anything properly. Not unless he was faced with some kind of incredible distraction.

A split second later, something blew up around the ceiling and the entire classroom was filled with smoke. It took around ten seconds of collective coughing fits for the smoke to vanish and let Heiji glance around and make a quick estimate of the damage caused. Several classmates now had different colored hair, Takashi was now wearing a girl's uniform and mascara, Tracy and Arina were tightly bound together by string in black suit and white dress, Kazuha who was now sitting on the front desk had been forced to swap clothes with the teacher, and Shinichi was sitting in the seat next to Heiji where Kazuha should've been.

"Hmm...I think the picture turned out rather nice, wouldn't you say?" he grinned at a confused Heiji before a shower of confetti was dropped on the blue-eyed teenager's head and made him vanish.

...Heiji wanted a distraction? Wish granted.

_**xXx**_

During pretty much the entirety of the lesson, Kaito had not budged. While Saguru knew perfectly well he was not the real Kaito, most students as well as the teacher were unaware of this fact and visibly very disturbed by his lack of activity. Even Aoko, despite being one of the few aside from Saguru to know that it was, in fact, simply Shinichi with messy hair, was fidgeting nervously in her seat as the blue-eyed teen simply sat and stared at the board without a sound. Although Saguru figured it was because she was afraid of him getting caught, and her being punished for knowing of the trickery but not saying anything about it.

When he raised his hand, interrupting the teacher and making most of the students sitting outside his field of vision cringe expectingly, Saguru's mouth twitched as he forced back an amused smirk.

"Okamura-sensei, I'm not sure what you said was accurate," he said calmly, lowering his arm again, and instead proceeding to explain his point of view after standing up. Watching the entire classroom so silent as he spoke was funny enough that Saguru wished he could laugh out loud.

"Invert Day" was so much more fun when he and Heiji weren't the ones on the receiving end for a change...

_**xXx**_

"You're the real Kudo, right?" Nakamichi asked, watching the messy-haired teen walk towards him with a sports bag on his back.

"Yeah, that's me," he replied, finishing the last of his sandwich. "If there's one place you wouldn't want Kaito to be, it's on a soccer field. Watching the ball blow into confetti everytime someone kicks it would be the _least _of your problems."

"I can imagine," Nakamichi sighed. "What did you guys switch identities for, anyway? Never seen you do that..."

"Let's just say that today is what we selected as our private 'prank-all-you-can' day. We do that every year. Looking like identical twins helps a lot- what's more confusing than not knowing who's who?"

"Point taken. So, you're gonna pull out all the stuff while we change? You always do that when you're not late...scared of coming into the changing room with us or something?"

"Not _scared_...I guess I just feel kinda uncomfortable, still..."

"About what? We're all guys, we all got the same junk- unless...you're embarassed about the _size_ of-"

"If anything, _you_ guys would be embarassed," he deadpanned, Nakamichi's eyes widening at the reply. Then he chuckled and added 'Just kidding', making the soccer captain scowl as he opened the door to the changing room. There were a bunch of greetings, followed by an army of gasps and snickers.

"Oh hey, Kudo! Finally changing with us for once? Or are you Kuroba making an attempt at soccer?"

"I'll be walking right back out as soon as Nakamichi gives me the keys to the ball room," he said, raising an eyebrow. "What were you hoping? By the way, don't forget to beware Kaito- if he gets his hands on the keys, you're in for some serious havoc. All he has to do is snap his fingers as soon as he touches them-" he caught the keys Nakamichi tossed at him, and raised his hand with an evil grin- "like this, see?"

The very instant he snapped his fingers, something exploded in the middle of the changing room, filling the entire room with smoke within a half-second. He breezed through the room once, a couple of flicks of the wrist, and left the keys and coughing soccer club behind as he quickly left the room and quietly shut the door behind him. He hummed as he skipped away, and headed for the first turn into a corridor that would lead him away from the field. A chorus of angry "KUUUROOOBAAAAAA" erupted from the room, and Kaito chose that moment to vanish behind the corner, only to find the real Shinichi doubling over from laughter and breathing issues.

_**xXx**_

"Oh _hell_ no," were the first words Ms. Manaka as she looked at the door, only to find _two_ Kaitos walking in and getting ready to head for the changing room from which Saguru came out of. "Stop right there boys, there's _no_ way I'm putting up with _two_ of you, one Kuroba more than enough. One of you is getting out this very instant, and I don't care whether it's the real or the fake one."

"What? But we planned on being good for a change!" the two teens chorused, even adapting the very same expressions. If eyes could shoot lasers, the teacher's glare would've drilled holes in their foreheads and in the next thirty buildings after that. Both their shoulders slumped slightly.

"What are we gonna do, Kaito?" the one asked.

"I don't know Kaito," the other sighed. "She _did_ say _one_ Kuroba was more than enough."

"If one is more than enough, wouldn't that mean none would be better?"

"And if that's the case..."

"...then how about two Kudos instead?" And with mirrored grins and fingersnaps, a puff of smoke erupted around them, allowing them to re-do their hair within a split second, and look, as they said they would, like two Kudos instead.

"Since we're two Kudos now, that means we're supposed to be in the other class. Maybe we should go and annoy my classmates," one of the two suggested.

"Good point, I don't think my classmates would expect two of us showing up," the other agreed.

Ms. Manaka was too shocked to say anything, and by the time she had gathered her wits they'd already walked out the door.

Saguru simply shook his head and sighed.

_**xXx**_

"...are you _crazy_?"

"No, I'm being serious! You know how much he likes getting attention anyway, he would be perfect-"

"What are the odds he's gonna ruin it?"

"I'm sure _somone_ can convince him to-"

"Sounds like there's an argument going on," one of the two Kudos snickered. The other simply raised an eyebrow, even if with a smirk.

"How about we enter in a showy fashion?"

"What, like we were gonna just naturally walk through the door?"

"We're Kudos, remember?"

"Ugh, so boring. The one day we can freely be crazy..."

"Suiyami is _so_ gonna tear our heads off when this is done."

"Ready to go in?"

"Anytime."

The fake Shinichi snapped his fingers, and confetti invaded the classroom from the ceiling. The two Kudos swiftly stepped in, and waited for the confetti to stop.

"What did I tell you?" one of the students muttered angrily, starting to pull confetti out of his hair.

"Oh hey, you came as two Kudos?" another asked. The two troublemakers grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"Kudo-kun, Kuroba-kun, just in time!" one of the girls smiled. "Have you heard of the plan 'Shuffle Romance'?"

"We shuffle for the fun of it, but I don't know about any romance between me and me," the fake-Shinichi replied, pointing at his brother and him.

"No no, 'Shuffle Romance' is a play written by me," Sonoko chuckled. "We were trying to discuss who would be best as who, and I thought you two would be perfect as Spade and Ace."

"I still think Kuroba should be left _off_stage," the first boy sighed. "He's only going to cause trouble-"

"He'd be causing more trouble offstage than onstage, believe me," Shinichi deadpanned. Kaito snorted in an attempt to _not_ burst into a fit of giggles.

"But Sonoko-chan, wouldn't they be better as Clover and Club?" another girl asked. "They _do_ look as good as twins, after all..."

"No, Clover and Club can be done by the two Ishidas," Sonoko shook her head. Kaito in the meantime proceeded to take the rubber out of his hair and mess it up, returning to looking like himself. "They're good actors, as their rather silly performance proved to us today, and I _need_ good actors for Spade and Ace."

"I'm always game when it comes to acting," Kaito grinned, "and I have a particular fondness for games that include cards."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow at him with an amused smirk, before smiling at Sonoko. "Alrighty, I guess we're in. What's the plan?"

Sonoko grinned. "Well..."

* * *

**Since it's been about a year since I last offered signs of life, I figured I should probably pick up this fic after cleaning all the webs and dead spiders off of it.**

**And, since it's been around a year, I won't be replying to any reviews here- I doubt you'd even remember what you reviewed XD**

**So, I dropped out of Psychology and found my way into an IT course instead, because University is a horrible place to be. At least around here. Coding is more fun :3**

**Plus, I've been completely obsessed with Pokémon, and obsession is far from dying since I decided to intrude on Mangalua's Nuzlocke ficverse and have my character stick to her like a leech in Emerald and all onward games XD**

**Anyway, this update is basically my announcement of Birds being revived, and that I'll be re-uploading chapters every 14th of the month like I used to. With possible lateness here and there, but I WILL update. Sorry for making everyone wait so ridiculously long D:**

**See you next month!~**


	33. Ch32: Get Ready To Play

**I SUCCEEDED IN STICKING TO TEH DEADLINE! **

**\O/**

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_Chapter 32: Get Ready To Play_

Nearly a month had passed since Sonoko had first explained the 'Shuffle Romance' project to Shinichi and Kaito (half the second year students and teachers had later come and secretly thanked and congratulated her for miraculously taming the two, as they had been enchanted enough by the idea and the discussion lasting all afternoon that they'd more or less forgotten that they still owed the school a little more mayhem- until they squeezed everything they hadn't done into the last ten minutes before the end of the day), and they were two days away from the real play. And now that they all knew their parts, it was time for them to do one last rehearsal.

Except the 'director' was only half-heartedly giving directions.

"Don't worry, Suzuki-san," Shinichi said, attemping to cheer her up. "Conan-kun is a tough kid. It was a rough week for Mouri-san, but she'll be fine as soon as she sees him up and running again."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry for looking so down and depressed when I should be 'bossing people around'," she sighed, only chuckling a little as she quoted Kaito at the end. "Never thought something like that would happen to the kid...even if he _does_ get into all kinds of trouble-"

"Like I said, he'll be fine," Shinichi smiled gently. "Try and keep your head for today, and when we're done I'll escort you and Mouri-san to see him, yeah?"

"_Escort_ me?" Sonoko giggled. "I know we all keep saying how alike you and Kazuki-kun are, but are you sure you're not actually more of a second Kuroba-kun?"

"Hey, you're the ones who claimed that, not me," Shinichi shrugged.

"Sonoko-chan, the Music Club just finished moving the instruments to the other side of the backstage," Arina announced, walking up to them. "They're all doing a few tweaks on their instruments to make sure they don't sound entirely off."

"I just noticed, I've never seen the school instruments," Kaito remarked, shaking the left sleeve of his costume a bit in an attempt to get the minor wrinkles out. "Think we can get the other two and get a look at them?"

"Why, do you plan on hiding doves in the guitars or something?" Sonoko leered at him.

"Ooh, I like that idea! Can I?" Kaito grinned mischievously. Sonoko frowned, glaring.

"If you want to see the instruments you just have to go to the right back there," Arina replied, pointing at the other side of the stage with the arm that wasn't in a cast. "Hattori-kun and Hakuba-kun are already there, since they volunteered to help with the moving."

"Sweet, we don't even have to go look for them!" Kaito said, grabbing Shinichi's wrist enthusiastically. "C'mon, let's go take a look!"

"Slow down Kaito, we don't want to knock any instruments over," Shinichi chuckled, letting himself be pulled away.

Taking the shortcut across the stage, Shinichi quickly glanced across the gym. A dozen students were busy unfolding chairs and putting them in rows, leaving space for future spectators to walk through and find their seats. In the corners of the gym a couple of students were placing stereos and checking for any problems.

Shinichi had never been on a stage before. At least not like this. Not for something as simple as a play. Somehow, seeing everyone putting so much effort into organising everything, to make this play as close to perfect as possible, made him nervous. More so than he'd ever been when sent out for a mission. And he was convinced that Kaito was just as nervous- and yet excited- as he was.

A familiar tune was already sounding by the time they got to the place Arina had pointed them to. And sure enough, Saguru was sitting on one of the stray crates strumming with one of the accoustic guitars.

"Haven't heard you play that in a long time," Shinichi smiled.

Saguru instantly stopped, raising his head. "Well, I should say that I have not had the occasion to touch a guitar since I arrived. I would suppose that you have yet to touch an instrument yourself?"

"I've been kinda tempted to steal Kazuki's violin for a few minutes, but decided against," Shinichi replied. "Then there's also Kaa-san's piano, I guess, but it's been left to collect the dust for _ages_, and I have no idea how to tune a grand piano."

"Nice drumset," Kaito commented, sitting on the seat. The two Music Club members that weren't busy fine-tuning their instrument eyed him suspiciously, but Kaito took no notice of them, picked up the drumsticks, spun them between his fingers a couple times, and stared at the drums for a bit.

"Damn, there's so many things I could fool around with that I can't pick," Kaito sighed.

"Please don't mess with the instruments too much, we already spend _enough_ time tuning them without you hiding magic tricks in them," one of the two members warned.

"Don' worry, instruments are one of th' rare things Kuroba ain't gonna screw around with- at least not too much," Heiji assured. "We're all more or less inta music to some extent, and he knows that stuffin' confetti an' such can alter the sound of th' instrument an' whatnot."

"Still, that's a lot of instruments you brought here," Shinichi noted, looking around. "That's all of them, right?"

"Almost," the other member answered. "We haven't trasnported the grand piano over yet since it's rather large and heavy, and we didn't get the keys to the storage room from the director yet. Then there's also a few instruments that we'll be using that aren't owned by the club, so some of our members will be bringing their own personal instruments to add to the music- eccentric stuff like kazoos, ocarinas and such. And then somewhere over there is the club leader's harp, which-"

"Did you say _harp_?" Kaito gasped loudly, shooting up from his seat and dashing for the area the member was pointing at.

"_Wait! _Kiyoko-sama is!-"

Shinichi, Heiji, and some of the members ran after him. Kaito was already standing by the instrument, letting his hand glide over the neck of the harp.

"_Don't_ touch that, or the club leader _will_ have your head empaled on a spear," one of them threatened. Kaito ignored them and continued to inspect the harp.

"If you don't move from that harp this very instant, I'll do just as they said," another growled, walking up to them with a cold glare directed at Kaito. "_Nobody_ touches that instrument without my most _explicit_ permission."

"The turning pins look a little off," Kaito muttered, still ignoring everything anyone was saying and taking place on the seat.

"Wait-" Shinichi said quickly, grabbing the club leader's shoulder as she moved to drive him away.

Kaito closed his eyes and plucked the first string.

_**xXx**_

"Your mom was _what?_" Aoko gasped into the phone. The shock in her voice made Sonoko raise her head, worried. And Aoko's pale, horror-striken face didn't help things. There a long moment on silence on Aoko's end. "I...Oh Kami, I'm so sorry Manami-chan, that's just...Yeah, I'll tell Sonoko-chan you can't perform...You just take it easy, okay? Don't worry about us...I'm so sorry, Manami-chan...Yeah, alright. Later..."

"That sounds _real_ bad," Sonoko said quietly. "What happened?"

"Manami-chan's mother was beaten to death," Aoko replied shakily, to Sonoko and Arina's horror. "Apparently she was coming back from the convenience store when she found a middle-school girl being surrounded by three men about to rape her and tried to interfere."

"Oh Kami..." Arina whispered, tears welling up. "Narita-san...Kori is going to be _so_ crushed when she hears this..."

"You knew her?" Aoko asked.

"I did somewhat, but Kori was closer to her than I was," Arina explained, swallowing. "She was an_ amazing _person, trying to help that girl is proof enough of that...Aoko-chan, did she say anything about how the girl is doing?"

"According to Manami-chan, the girl is fine, thanks to Narita-san she managed to get away and call the police. The three men got away before the police arrived, but thanks to the girl's description and testimony they were caught sometime earlier this morning."

Arina nodded and smiled weakly. "I'm glad. At least Narita-san will be able to leave knowing she succeeded in protecting someone...but..." her smile dropped again. "How are going to tell this to everyone? I mean...everyone was so excited about the play, and we're so close to the deadline...for something like this to happen to Manami-chan is just..."

"I told Manami-chan we'd figure something out about her role as princess Diamond, so that she wouldn't worry about the play and show up when she's so shaken," Aoko said. "But what _are_ we going to do? If we remove Diamond from the play, anyone interacting with her will have to change their parts, and if we find someone to replace Manami-chan they'll have to learn Diamond's entire part within two days..."

"I can't do this," Sonoko sighed, shaking her head. She could feel her throat tighten. "First -, then Ran and the brat, now Manami-chan...this is too much for me to deal with in one week. I can't work like this."

"Sonoko..." Aoko muttered sadly.

"Is everything alright?" Tracy asked, joining them. "You all look so down...did something happen?"

"Manami-chan won't be able to do Diamond's part for the play, so we need to think of something else," Arina explained. "We'll be giving details about that when everyone is listening."

"It's gotta be pretty bad if Suzuki-san is considering taking a break for today..." Tracy said quietly, before looking at Sonoko. "Are you sure about it? Those who have a role to practice can do stuff on their own just fine, but as far as settings and everything else goes..."

"I'm sorry, I'm just not up to it anymore today," Sonoko replied shaking her head again. "I know I'm usually the one dragging people around and being cheery and determined and all, but..."

"What if we started by finding someone to do Diamond's part?" Tracy asked. "I mean...if we find someone to do Diamond, whoever that will be is going to need your directions, no? The play is only two days away, after all, so they'd have to start immediately and we wouldn't be able to afford waiting until tomorrow to think of a solution..." he continued, his voice getting smaller and his face blushing slighty as he kept on rambling.

"TJ has a point," Aoko agreed. "If you leave, it's an entire day wasted because we won't have been able to make the same progress we would with you here."

"I..." Sonoko hesitated.

"I know Mouri-san isn't here, but the rest of us can still do our best to support you," Tracy smiled timidly, blushing a little more. "Maybe, umm...maybe you should just go lay down for a bit, instead of actually leaving? That way you can rest up and still help when you feel better and ready to give directions."

"_Holy_..." Arina breathed, wide-eyed, causing the three of them to stare at her. "Sonoko-chan, I just thought of the perfect candidate for Diamond's role. Are you guys ready to hear me out?"

_**xXx**_

"So, apparently yer a first?" Heiji teased, poking Kaito in the ribs. Kaito smiled sheepishly while trying to fight Heiji's hand off.

"Dude, I heard what they said, no need to repeat it! But it's still kinda embarassing, it makes me feel like some progidy kid."

"Well, maybe you are?" Saguru smirked. "You've always been good at just about anything you tried your hand at..."

"Keep it up you two and I'll use the same stuff I did for Suiyami-san's hair," Kaito threatened. Considering Felix's hair hadn't lost a single bit of it's silver in the past few months, they both stopped. Shinichi's lips twiched, trying not to grin.

"Oh, there you are!" Sonoko smiled as she saw them arrive. "Done inspecting the music instruments?"

"I wish I could have all of them stored in my bedroom," Kaito grinned, before continuing with a more serious tone. "Are you alright? You're starting to look like someone who's being abused at home."

"No no, I'm not being abused," Sonoko laughed. "But I feel like I've only been getting bad news after bad news lately, so...I'll go and rest at the infirmary. I'm leaving Arina-chan and Aoko-chan in charge of things for the time being. Can I count on the four of you to help out where they need it?"

"Sure," Shinichi blinked. "Make sure you actually rest up though, instead of just laying there and staring at the ceiling or something."

"Perhaps you would appreciate some company?" Saguru volunteered. "There's not much I can really do here, so I would much rather prefer to leave things in someone else's hands."

"If I really do fall asleep I'll be some pretty boring company," Sonoko grinned. "Are you sure you want to follow me?"

"I can always get a book to pass time," he shrugged.

"Sonoko-chan! We're ready!" Arina called happily, running to them while dragging someone behind her, which they quickly recognised to be Tracy.

...In a dress.

"J-Jinamai? Is that really you?" Heiji gasped. Kaito doubled over from laughter.

"It's not like I have a choice, do I?" Tracy squeaked, his face flushing. Kaito only laughed harder. "And that's _not_ funny, Kuroba-kun!"

"Anything out of the ordinary is funny to Kuroba, so don't mind him," Saguru noted.

"Actually, it's only really funny because you have a complex about having such a feminine face," Kaito corrected, still snickering. The comment about the feminine face only caused Tracy's face to redden more. "Trust me, if you started coming to school with a skirt everyday, they'd only poke you about it for the first three days or so before leaving you alone again. Be proud instead of ashamed- nobody thinks it's fun to tease a guy who doesn't give a crap."

"Considering that his classmates would only glace at him for two seconds if he came with his face caked in make-up, Kaito is a prime example," Shinichi agreed with a sigh.

"I know! You can become my new sidekick!" Kaito announced, pouncing on Tracy and pulling him into a hug, which made Tracy yelp in surprise. Kaito then proceeded to do a lot of dramatic poses while holding Tracy's shoulder. "I can already see it...Kai and Amai, the trouble-making duet! Sometimes spreading love and happiness, sometimes spreading chaos and disaster! Two measly students, unknown to society, yet capturing the hearts of so many! We shall change the world with our ideals, and- ooh, wait, what's that?" Kaito interrupted himself, suddenly shoving his hand in Tracy's dress, causing Tracy to squeak and attempt to fight him off again, and pulled out an odd blob of something that looked like white, translucid jelly. "Awesome! _Breast pads!_"

"Don't steal them with my permission, those are mine," Arina warned. "You can borrow them whenever you want, just ask first, but right now they're TJ's since he's going to replace Manami-chan as princess Diamond."

The playful grin quickly vanished from Kaito's face. "Huh? Narita-chan won't be in the play? Why not?"

"We'll...explain that in a moment," Sonoko replied quietly. "Would you mind gathering everyone up? We'll make a general announcement when everyone is ready to listen."

"Uh, yeah, will do," Kaito nodded, mixed feelings of worry and confusion now drawn on his face. Sonoko smiled sadly.

"Alright then...once it's been said, I'll go rest for an hour or two and then come back, so we can get this done. We only have two days left, and I wouldn't want to leave Jinamai-kun to improvise on the day of the play," she winked at him, which made him blush again.

"In that case, we'll go and round everyone up," Shinichi nodded, before the boys finally split.

* * *

***sees deadline, gasps, opens document...and stares for hours (***

**Seriously though, it's a little shorter than my usual amount but I'm amazed I was able to come up with anything at all XD Because really, Pokémon has just invaded my mind, and I've been doing nothing but write scenes for a Nuzlocke fic that won't be appearing until AGES from now XD I don't know if I should blame Chu for the epicness of the stuff we keep coming up with or not.**

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**Miyu Hinamori:** So I'm forgiven? =D *shot* Glad you liked it, you're welcome XD

**Hallolo:** I'm sorry for being dead D: But I reviveded, see? Now I'll try and update on a regular basis again XD

**Ember-san:** I'm sorry D': But I know that if I set my deadline to every week, I'd be slaughtered by you and the rest of the reviewers for not keeping my promises. Every month is already hard enough considering I'm not always inspired to write...;^;

**Hanasaku:** To be honest, I was almost considering giving Conan an early antidote, have him show up at school, and make Shinichi and Kaito forcefully drag him into their antics. I eventually decided against because his canon "First Return" is something I preferred to leave as is instead of messing with it all XD

**Maruki Shitoichi:** And the month after that! O.O

**LadyKarma18:** Sometimes I wonder if I should ever redo the trailer. Or maybe ask someone with better talents to remake it. But then I'd have to spoil some future plot points to them D: And to answer your question, I haven't yet really thought of an important role that Akai would play beyond what's been shown in the manga so far...I think I've vaguely mentioned it somewhere, but unless I manage to sneakily wriggle myself out of it, Toichi is their real father =w=

**Animegirl1987:** I am psychic, that's why 8D But really, I've tried re-reading the first chapters once and I was like "...Oh Kami, did I really write that? ;A;". Because let's face it- the whole main plot took an entirely different direction about halfway through, so it's almost as if the first chapters don't even make sense to me anymore XD And yes, I've heard of Hetalia, and watched a few of them. "Do you understand now?" "So your anger is Chopin?" I don't think there's one episode where you can't laugh at something.

**GhostReviewer13: **I SEE YOUUUUUU~ And I know you reviewed "Pandora's End" XD It still blows my mind that I actually did something like that. I'm glad you like my fics, though :3


	34. Ch33: Shuffle Romance

**Holy crap I almost forgot to upload this! D8**

* * *

_Chapter 33: Shuffle Romance_

"_Oh, all-knowing God Zenzu, why do you ignore me like this? Have you turned your back on this hopeless maiden?_"

"Mouri-san is brilliant," Hatsuki whispered as Ran continued her monologue. "She just barely spoke the first two lines of the play, and she's already won the heart of the audience."

"Let's hope the rest of you can keep up with her pace," Arina giggled, giving Tracy a small slap on the shoulder. The substitute princess whimpered quietly.

"Don't worry, you're starting with me," Kaito reassured. "If you get lost in your lines I'll improvise for you."

"Thanks Kuroba-san, but I don't know if I should be relieved or even more scared..." he sighed.

"Considering he's already got a flamboyant-enough role, he won't mess it up for you," Shinichi said. "He likes the stage too much."

"Aaaaaand there goes what little threatening aura I had left," Kaito mumbled. Keiko giggled while Aoko glared at him. Tracy managed a timid smile until he noticed Ran was reaching the end of her monolgue.

"I'm right here," Kaito repeated, watching Ran leave the stage from the other side. A white sheet rose from the front of the stage while several students rushed to change the decor. Kaito took Tracy by the wrist, and grinned. "Just pretend that they're all pumpkins!"

Tracy swallowed, and let himself be dragged onto the stage.

The white sheet fell.

_**xXx**_

"Alright, _Roku-san_, you're up next," Keiko grinned maliciously. Felix simply nodded and proceeded to march on stage and kneel before Cortet.

"_My Lord_," Felix started, staring down at the floor. Shinichi could hear a chorus of female voices gasp and squeal excitedly at the sight of him and his silvery hair- and he guessed that Ai, who's presence he could feel in the audience, probably wasn't one of them.

"Funny how Suiyami-san always gets to have a harem of fangirls squealing over him no matter what role he plays," Arina commented, raising an eyebrow. "Do you think he wears some kind of hormonal perfume or something?"

"Either you're the perfect argument against your own theory, or you've got your own hormonal perfume that mixes with his the wrong way," Hatsuki replied. "You _are_ aware that nine out of ten guys in our school practically consider you as an X-idol?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have so much fun wrapping all of them around my little finger," she shrugged, then sighed as she grimaced at her cast. "I wish I hadn't broken my arm last week though- on top of them swarming to me offering to help and whatnot, I'm having a harder time fending them off."

"Should I _help _you with that?" Kaito grinned. Aoko gave him a threatening glare.

"If I let _you_ on the loose, then they'll _definitely_ stay away from me," Arina chuckled. "That wouldn't even be such a bad idea, to be honest. As long as you don't _actually_ come onto me or anything-"

Kaito gasped dramatically. "You wound me," he said in a mock-hurt tone, putting a hand over his heart. "How could I _ever _attempt to hit on you, when the whole school knows that I'm in a threesome with my dearest Shin-nii and Sa-chan?"

Keiko snorted and had to walk away so she could have a giggle-fit. Shinichi simply rolled his eyes while Saguru's face flushed to crimson.

"Please do not spread unnecessary rumors about us, Kuroba," Saguru scowled. Sonoko's lips twitched, trying not to grin, and instead attempting to focus on the stage.

"Oh that's right, you're still upset we didn't include Hattori in our love circle," Kaito sighed.

"Kuroba-"

"Suiyami-san's coming back," Shinichi interrupted, raising an eyebrow at Kaito and smirking. "Ready to go, _Otouto_?"

Saguru groaned and started walking away, follow by Aoko who immediately started attempting to "cheer him up". The moment Felix walked past them, Shinichi followed Kaito onto the stage.

_**xXx**_

He watched as the two identical-looking teens walked onto the stage, arguing heatedly over whether or not "Spade" should speak to "princess Heart"- but "Spade" refused to show himself to "Heart" until he was ready for it. After all, meeting her could endanger both of them, and "Spade" didn't want to see her at the cost of their lives. Not unless she thought him dead, and needed to be asked to wait for him a little longer. _Now where have I seen this before?_ he thought, smirking vaguely.

Something flashed brightly before his eyes. He frowned, mentally grasping at the vision he'd just had before it snuck away entirely. He closed his eyes.

There was the wooden board, the one with the star of David and the markings. The black pawns were quivering, uneasy- even the one shrouded in thin mist- as if they were struggling with themselves, trying to decide how to react to the happenings in the middle of the board.

At the center of everything, the garnet had begun to glow.

It wasn't the kind of powerful glow that he knew would eventually come. It was a faint glow, just enough to show that the power _was_ there, that it was still sleeping. Whatever had been sealing that faint glow of power had been removed.

He smiled. Soon the black pawns would settle again, their reaction was only due to surprise. They hadn't expected the seal to be released, of course.

But he knew that the release would be short lived, and that the seal would be reapplied again before the poor garnet could enjoy its freedom.

_**xXx**_

_So long...I've been waiting for so long..._

There was so much to say. So many things that crossed his mind, to the point of making his head spin.

He knew what the deal had been. He'd only speak to those that should know, that could be trusted not to tell. He'd promised. He only wanted to see her. He only _needed_ to see her.

And he needed for her to see him. Not the lies, not the mask he'd been hiding behind. He needed her to see _him_, to knew that _he_ was okay, that _he_ was still here, that _he _wasn't just a voice over the phone-

He finally arrived in front of the gates. This place he knew so well, one he longed to return to, because it was one of the many signs that his life would be _normal _again.

Slowly, he passed the open gates.

_**xXx**_

"Alright, I'm off to use the bathroom, I'll change costume later," Shinichi announced as he watched Ran leave the stage from the other end, and ran off.

Sonoko glanced back at the last scene between Ace and princess Diamond. Despite the constant blushing that refused to leave, Tracy had become a lot more confident over the past half-hour and almost forgotten that there was even an audience watching them. Admittedly, Kaito had done the most amazing job at helping him keep his head, and whenever Tracy seemingly started to panic, Kaito's improvisations turned out almost better than what Sonoko had come up with for the script. The crazy magician had, in essence, managed to get Tracy to place all of his trust in him, which was the best thing Sonoko could have hoped for.

To be honest, Sonoko suspected Kaito had planned some of his "improvisations" ahead of time. During that one time when Tracy looked about to pass out and Ran swiftly moved behind him to catch him in case he fell, Kaito said one or two lines before whistling- after which two students transported a _harp_ onto the stage- sat down, smiled at Ran and Tracy, and played. She'd heard that Kaito had made quite the performance a couple days earlier, but she hadn't expected it to be _that _amazing. Even the audience was staring in awe. Seeing the silliest person in existence suddenly calm down and play the most beautiful music was, to her- and probably to anyone else that knew him- mind-blowing.

"Oh my goodness!~" Keiko squealed gleefully, backing away from the stage so the hidden microphones didn't pick her voice up. "Diamond's face when Ace takes her hand! Kuroba-kun and Jinamai-kun are so amazing!"

"Kuroba-kun deliberately tore away from the script this time..." Sonoko noticed, frowning slightly. "Tracy was doing fine, so why?"

"_Princess Diamond...Should the mysterious Black Knight indeed seek to become the protector of your cousin..._" Kaito started, before kneeling in front of Tracy, who flushed visibly with a small gasp. "_...then I shall vow to act as your sword and as your shield, be it to battle for wealth or for freedom. Whether I raise my sword to fight or to protect, I shall obey none other than the one lady I cherish the most. I am nothing but a lowly servant of the castle, and this accursed blood of mine that do not belong to any family of royal lineage has no right to demand your hand, however..._" Sonoko gasped when Kaito looked up at Tracy. _"...however, if the Black Knight succeeds to become the protector of princess Heart, would you, my beloved maiden, allow me to become your White Knight?_"

"_A-Ace..._" Tracy muttered nervously. The entire audience was on the edge of their seats. Tracy took a deep, shaky breath. "_Ace...you know the true indentity of the mysterious Black Knight, do you not?_"

Kaito blinked, genuinely caught a little off-guard. "_Th-That is..._"

Tracy shook his head and smiled. "_The identity of the Black Knight does not interest me. Whoever the man under the mask may be, I am certain they will defend my cousin, at the cost of their life should it be necessary. But I do not wish for the White Knight to taint his armor with blood for my sake._" Sonoko had to clasp her hands over her mouth when Kaito blinked again, and Tracy's smile slightly broadened as he sat in front of Kaito to be at the same eye-level. "_To be loved by a man such as yourself is the greatest honor a lady like me could ever hope for, and I do not wish to lose such a gentle and courageous man to such rash actions. Be your blood of royal lineage or simply that of a servant, you remain a human being, and the only vow I wish to hear from your lips is that of you remaining by my side until fate tears us apart_."

Kaito bit his lip and squeezed Tracy's hand. He eventually closed his eyes and placed Tracy's hand on his chest, where his heart would be, before opening his eyes again. "_Diamond...whatever you wish to hear, I shall say it. Anything you wish for me to vow, I shall vow it. If staying by your side is the only request that can grant you happiness, then I shall take pride and pleasure in doing nothing but._"

"_I look forward to it_," Tracy breathed, and the white sheet fell.

Keiko was the first to run away from the stage as fast as she could so she could squee all to her heart's content.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh-" she giggled madly, barely able to breathe.

"They completely stole the climax- I'm_ so _frustrated, but I can't stop grinning!" Sonoko admitted with a sigh. "I need to re-think the next scene and give Kudo-kun an emergency change of script-"

"Where's Aniki?" Kaito asked, finally poking out of the stage. Keiko gasped when she saw that he was carrying Tracy in his arms- though the excitement died as they noticed he'd passed out. Sonoko could only guess that the sudden realisation of what he'd done had shocked the poor boy more than he could handle.

"Kudo-kun went to use the bathroom before you started," Sonoko replied.

"Ah, crap, I thought, I'd help him with-" Kaito started, and stopped when his eyes rested on the blue helm. "Wait, is that the Black Knight's costume? You mean he hasn't even _changed_ yet?"

"Nope," Sonoko scowled slightly.

Kaito rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Alright, put the lot in Jinamai-kun's lap, I'm heading to the infirmary to let him rest anyway and the bathroom is in the same direction," he explained while Sonoko dropped everything on the unconscious Tracy. "I'll help him with the quick-change so he doesn't waste any more time."

"Alright, hurry up, and make sure Kudo-kun talks to me _before_ he climbs up the ladder," Sonoko sighed, and Kaito nodded before running off. On stage, the white sheet was being removed already so the next scene could start. "Argh...I don't have time to think about how the change the next scene! At this rate I'd almost prefer he didn't speak at all!"

"What?!" Keiko gasped. "But if he doesn't speak, how is Spade going to reveal his identity to Heart?!"

Sonoko blinked as something dawned on her. "...He doesn't have to reveal his identity with words. When he played the Black Knight before, he didn't speak either. Why would he suddenly have to do it now?"

"So...I heard you wanted to talk to me?" the blue-eyed detective asked, walking up to Sonoko in full Black Knight costume, save for the helm that was being safely held under his arm.

"Yes, I just had the most brilliant idea!" she grinned proudly. "The beginning doesn't change, you climb up the ladder back there and wait until they pull Heart out of the carriage, then you drop a bunch of black feathers and jump with down an awesome sword slash," Sonoko explained, mimicking the movements of her visualisation, "and Heart is going to ask what your identity is. And that's where it changes- _you don't say a word_. All the way up until she kisses you, you're not allowed to say who you are or take off your helm. Other than that, just be as romantic as you can, got it?"

"...Are you _sure_ about this?" he asked, skeptic.

"Oh come on, you already agreed to the role, don't chicken out on me now!" Sonoko huffed, shoving him in direction of the ladder, and dropping her voice to a hiss to avoid the stage microphones. "Now get up there and win the audience!"

Looking at the stage again, Sonoko decided that he'd arrived just in time- the bandits had just arrived.

"_Who goes there?_" one of the knights asked. "_Don't you know this is the Bridge Kingdom's princess, Heart?_"

"_We know that already_," the first bandit grinned.

"_We were ordered by Master Cortet to abduct the princess!_"

"_To us, it is better if our two kingdoms continue this hatred of each other. Get out of the way!_"

Ran winced as one of the bandits grabbed her wrist and forcefully grabbed out of the carriage. Somewhere in the audience, Sonoko could hear Kazuha shouting and demanding that Ran use her karate on him. "_C'mon!_"

Sonoko quickly grabbed a pen and board when she saw the feathers fall. Hearing the bandits panic and run away, Sonoko scribbled a couple kanji on the board and returned to watch.

"_Not just once, but twice! Who was it that saved my life again?_" Ran asked, the Black Knight turning his back to her. "_Oh unnamed knight with your black cloak, if you will grant me my wish...please take off that dark mask and show your true face!_"

At that instant, he turned to Ran...and embraced her. Keiko was torn between running off to die of glee, or keep watching and _silently_ die of glee. The surprised, blushing look on Ran's face was priceless. So that she didn't have to stay confused for too long, Sonoko lifted her board and motioned for her to keep going.

Hesitating slighty, Ran finally tore away from the embrace. "_Oh! Might you be Spade? Long ago, you_-"

"Suzuki-san!" someone hissed behind her. Sonoko turned and found a pale-looking blue-eyed detective staring at her.

She blinked. "...Kudo-kun?"

"..._but now you've become the prince of_..."

"Is that _Kaito_ on stage right now?"

"I thought _you_ were the one on stage right now!"

"..._If you have not forgotten our childhood promise_..."

"Wait, you mean Kaito actually took the time to change his hair before putting the helm on?" Shinichi asked incredulously.

"..._show me on these lips_."

Sonoko spun around to stare at the stage so quickly that her neck almost snapped, and watched as the two figures' faces slowly inched closer and closer to each other.

A scream erupted from the audience.

* * *

**Geh! Okay, so I'm going to be preserving the other chapter I have ready and keep it for next month, because I **_**know**_** that I wouldn't have the chapter after that written in time even if I tried. My brain has drowned in Pokemon games and left almost zero space for Detective Conan, but when you've got Mangaluva and chesto poffins and grepa-based alcohol drinks and Steven Stone being an even crazier character than Kaito that's to be expected.**


	35. Ch34: Desperate Revival

**Oh my god, I can't believe I forgot to upload this three days ago. OH MY GOD.**

* * *

_Chapter 34: Desperate Revival_

"The deceased individual is Kamata Kouhei, age 27."

"A Beika General hospital doctor, right?"

"Yes."

"How did he collaspe during the play?"

Saguru quietly listened to the conversation, standing back slightly, arms crossed. He paid special attention to the three witnesses that were explaining how the victim died to the inspector. The tones of their voices, the way they moved their hands, if they were shifting on their legs, if they were unnaturally straining themselves to hide possibly odd behaviors. So far he hadn't seen any of the others around the body, so he could only try and watch the three people that had been near the victim when he collapsed, throwing the occasional glance at the rest of the audience to see if there were any other suspicious people.

"It was around 2:40," Ran said, answering the inspector's question concerning the time of death. "Because we heard the scream at the climax of the play, right?" Although Ran had turned to the Black Knight for confirmation, he didn't respond. Saguru guessed that he was thinking- possibly even watching the witnesses the same way he was, but Shinichi normally knew to leave that kind of part to him since he had an easier time catching on to the smaller details.

Saguru frowned. He'd have thought that Heiji, having been in the audience, would've been one of the first to be on the scene, already scrambling for evidence that was lying around and that the police would've overlooked or brushed off as insignificant. So far, however, there hadn't been a single trace of a dark-skinned moron-

"This man probably drank potassium cyanide and died," someone commented in a very factual manner. Saguru's eyes instantly snapped over to the young man, who, to his amusement, had a very familiar voice.

"Hey, I thought nobody went near the body!" Megure said reproachfully, glaring at another man. He didn't look like he was from the police department, but judging from the fact that he'd been admitted onto the crime scene he was probably a detective- and if not, then at the very least someone that the inspector trusted. The young man vaguely came to the man's defense, going into an extensive explanation about potassium cyanide and the physical details that had brought him to deduce how the murder had been done. Since the man had been glaring at him suspiciously, he'd eventually had to prove that he wasn't anywhere near the victim at the time of the murder, and pointed at Conan as being his witness.

Saguru had to force himself not to smirk when the young man finally decided to remove his cap and draw a chorus of shocked gasps from everyone watching.

"It's me! I am...Kudo Kazuki."

And then, hilarity ensued.

_**xXx**_

"Geez," Heiji grumbled as he walked over to Saguru, shoulders slumped. "Pretendin' ta be Kazuki, bein' seen with Conan, a plan ta keep Ran from bein' suspicious about him...all ruined by Tomoya-chan."

"Well, there were several flaws in your plan," Saguru replied neutrally. "You would need a better disguise, you would need a voice changer, you would need to be seen with Conan-kun, Kudo _and _Kuroba all at once, and most obvious element if you honestly planned on impersonating Kudo Kazuki would be to actually sound like you're from Tokyo and not Osaka."

"Yeah, thanks for tellin' me that when there's nothin' more ta do anyway," Heiji scowled. The slight tension immediately vanished from his mind as he started to look around. "Speakin' of which, I still ain't seen Kuroba. Weren't ya backstage with 'im? Where'd he go?"

"Truth be told, I left the backstage and joined the audience right before Kuroba and Jinamai-kun started their last part, so I have no idea where they vanished to," Saguru explained. "And I have yet to hear Kudo utter a single word so far..." he added quietly, glancing at the Black Knight that was slowly walking away.

"Yeah, that's weird," Heiji agreed. "Ya'd think he'd've come an' talked ta us to share his own impressions, but he ain't seem inclined ta get anywhere near us. What about Haibara, didja see her anywhere? I know she's here, I can feel her, but..."

"No, I cannot say that I have seen her," Saguru sighed. "And I am pretty certain that she must be just as interested in muders as Kuroba is, so unless Kudo deems he can exchange information with us, we are most likely on our own for this investigation."

"Great, a murder investigation with the British prick as partner, just what I've always dreamed of," Heiji groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Perhaps you would prefer that we turn this into a contest to see which of us is the better detective?" Saguru said, raising an eyebrow

"What, can't handle stickin' with me when Kudo ain't around?" Heiji grinned maliciously.

"Oh, could it be you are afraid of facing me in a challenge?" Saguru asked, crossing his arms as a smug smirk tugged at his lips. Heiji glared, not rising to the bait, until Saguru's smirk broadened. "Well, _suzume-nou_?"

Heiji snapped and pointed at him. "This challenge is _so_ on! I'll show ya who's th' better detective ya ahou!"

The blond teen simply walked away, chuckling.

_**xXx**_

He watched from a distance as the dark-skinned teen crouched down, talking to the seven-year old. What about he couldn't hear, but he could wager a good guess. When the kid walked away, the teen tried to call him back, but then the blond-haired detective came and said something that made the other glare at him. Watching them made him chuckle a little.

His gaze shifted as the Black Knight released the curtain he'd been holding, and wandered off, his cape flowing behind him slightly. He'd most likely gone to snoop around the gym a little.

"This is the worst..." he heard the Suzuki girl sigh. "Some weird case comes up. The play is cancelled. To top that off, it starts to rain. The festive mood is completely gone, isn't it sensei?"

"That can't be helped, after something like this happens," the doctor replied. He shot them a quick glance, and saw the doctor smile weakly. "There's always a next time, so let's just give up for today."

Sonoko nodded.

He sighed and went back to watching how things were going in the detectives' direction. Despite the fact that there was an uncountable amount of students and visitors around, his absence would still likely be noticed if he tried to leave. There was nothing he could do other than wait for this murder to be solved and done with.

Oh well, just a little more patience. He knew it wouldn't take much longer.

_May the curtains rise and the masks fall..._

_**xXx**_

"Alright, tell me what's up."

Shinichi took his chin off his fingers and glanced up at Heiji.

"Please don't look at me like that," Shinichi glared, in response to Heiji's. "I'm not doing anything."

"I can tell," Heiji deadpanned. The dark-skinned detective sighed and sat next to Shinichi. "So, decided to take your costume off so you could investigate better?"

"Actually, that's one of the problems I'm trying to figure out," Shinichi admitted.

Heiji blinked at him.

"Consulting others again, Hattori?" Saguru commented, joining them. "Did you not say that _you_ would prove which of us is the better detective?"

"You guys were having a duel?" Shinichi deadpanned.

"I was pissed off that Kudo still wasn't talking to us, so I came to ask why," Heiji growled. "I only just sat down, I didn't have time to discuss anything case-related with him."

"If you say so," Saguru shrugged.

"I want to tell you that you're both idiots for thinking of this case as being a challenge, but we've got other issues, and I'm not even talking about the case itself," Shinichi interrupted. Heiji looked about to protest, but Shinichi pressed his lips against his fingers and switched to deep-thinking. "Something very odd is going on around here..."

Heiji and Saguru watched him oddly. Shinichi's frown deepened.

"A lot of people here aren't who they seem to be..."

_**xXx**_

In the end, Shinichi had decided to stay away from the scene, and only watch from afar at best. So it was up to Heiji and him to help the police solve the case- especially since they'd found a small container of potassium cyanide in the victim's car which, without the evidence they'd gathered on their end, would've drawn only one logical conclusion.

"From these circumstances, we can conclude it was a suicide," Megure told Takagi. The officer nodded.

Saguru wished they'd had one more piece of evidence to back up their theory. Until then-

"Please wait, Megure-keibu!"

His mouth already half-open, Saguru turned- as did everyone else- and stared at the Black Knight standing at the entrance of the gym. Thunder roared over the school grounds, but the Black Knight waited, unaffected, and watched them.

Saguru frowned. Earlier, Shinichi had refused to participate in the case unless absolutely necessary, but he and Heiji haven't had the chance to lay out their solution to the inspector yet. Why did Shinichi suddenly change his mind? Or did he think that the two of them wouldn't be able to handle it without him, even though they were just as capable as he was?

"This isn't a suicide," he finally said. "Rather, this was a very simple and basic...murder."

He shot a glance at Heiji. Judging from the look on his face, they were both thinking the same thing.

"That's right..." the Black Knight continued, advancing towards them. "Kamata-san was poisoned, in front of this ebony stage, under the cover of darkness, where his incurable habit was used against him. The culprit should still have the evidence with them..." A smirk crossed the young man's lips. "...if my deduction for this bold crime is, in fact, the truth."

"You...You're..." Megure started, something between a question and a confused mutter.

The Black Knight smiled. "Long time no see, Megure-keibu. It's me," and he finally pulled his helm off, "Kudo Kazuki."

_**xXx**_

The entire gym was filled with a chorus of shocked gasps. The dark-skinned detective gave a loud shout of "WHAT?!", while the blond teen stood, impassive, and inspected every last inch of him.

The Black Knight tucked the helm under his arm while everyone questioned his identity. It didn't take too long for the audience to start thinking that it was most likely just Kudo Shinichi doing a name switch.

The blue-eyed teen frowned. "...Shinichi is...here?"

"I'm here alright."

A new chorus of gasps was summoned as Shinichi stepped forward. The two teens just stared at each other for a while, a torrent of unspoken words being exchanged between them.

Eventually, the cloaked teen shugged, and smiled.

"Well then. Time to bring this show to light, wouldn't you say?"

One of the students gave an encouraging shout, which was then followed by another student. Very quickly, the entire audience was roaring with a chant of "_Kudo-o! Kudo-o! Kudo-o!_" while the police, the witnesses, and the teen detectives all looked around in mild confusion.

The Black Knight brought a finger to his lips, in a hushing motion.

"Quiet," he commanded, a whisper just loud enough to be heard by everyone, and the chants almost immediately ceased. "There'll be time to celebrate after I've lowered the curtains on this bloody stage." His poetry was answered by a very loud _Shhh! _that the students were tossing among each other.

Next to him, he could hear Sonoko sigh.

"That man still loves to reach out to his fans..." she noted darkly.

He watched as Ran quietly questioned whether or not he really was Kazuki. The Black Knight rolled his eyes and called her an idiot, but leaned towards her and whispered something to her ear, causing her to blush slightly.

He then turned to Heiji.

_**xXx**_

"Hey, you!"

"M-Me?" Heiji blinked.

"Yeah," he grinned. "You wouldn't happen to have a coin of ten yen with you, would you?"

"Uh, sure, I think of have one or two, but what're ya goin' ta-"

Heiji paused, realisation dawning on him. He knew what he wanted to do with it. And it was a brilliant idea.

"So, can you lend it to me for a while?" he asked.

Heiji smirked, pulling out his wallet. "Sure, but it'll cost ya."

"I'll give it back right away!" he replied, chuckling a little. Heiji smiled and placed the coin in his hand, his fingers brushing against his glove.

The contact hadn't been quite physical, but it had been more than enough for him to determine who this person really was. He'd stiffened slightly, forcing himself to keep on smiling instead of leaving place to shock. Countless questions whizzed through his mind, but instead of asking any he decided to fall back slightly, going back to stand near Saguru.

"He's th' real deal," Heiji whispered to the blond detective as Megure began to defend the suicide theory.

Saguru frowned. "Are you sure about this?"

"He's definitely not one of us," Heiji replied, shaking hs head. "Whether th' other one is really Kudo or not is questionable, but either way we're missin' one an' that guy ain't it."

"So in other words, this person is the real Kudo Kazuki..." he muttered, watching the Black Knight lay out his solution.

Heiji couldn't help but glance to the side, where the seven-year old was standing. "But then what about Conan-kun? There ain't any way in hell that there are _two_ Kazukis!"

"Remember what Kudo- Shinichi- said? _A lot of people aren't what they seem. _I'm guessing that our missing Haibara would be the one dressing up as Conan-kun."

"Ugh, too many masks..." Heiji groaned. "It's bad enough when Kuroba does it."

"Quite," Saguru agreed darkly.

"...After you finish a drink, there's only one reason to open the lid," Kazuki explained, a smirk finding its way to his lips. "Kamata-san didn't drink the poison. He _ate _the poison."

"Ate?!" the older detective repeated incredulously.

"So_ that's _what happened!" Takagi said, having figured out what Kazuki was getting at. "There are people who like to eat the left-over ice cubes. You know, you like to chew on them too!" he added, turning to Megure.

"I see! So if the culprit knew of Kamata-san's habit, they could easily poison him without leaving any traces in the cup!"

"So then, who did it?" the older detective asked, looking slightly grumpy.

_**xXx**_

Ran couldn't help but glance at the three people, one after the other. Everything was so confusing, and she had no idea what to hold on to.

In the past week, she'd come to the conclusion that Kazuki had never left her side. He always seemed to know how she was doing, he always seemed to call when she missed him, and occasionally- although he didn't notice- he would let something slip or word something in a way that hinted at him knowing thing about her and what she did before she even had the chance to mention anything over the phone.

At first she suspected Shinichi again. She'd told him that she didn't believe him to be Kazuki, but somewhere in the back of her mind something kept nagging at her and told her that Kazuki was still around. But after a while, she realised that Kazuki- when he let things slip- actually seemed to know more things about when Shinichi _wasn't_ around than when he _was_. She thought about Kaito, but her suspicion of him vanished as quickly as it had arrived: Shinichi and Kaito were practically unseparable, to the point where they seemed to sleep over at each other's homes more often than not. Whatever Shinichi didn't know, Kaito probably didn't either, unless Kaito was a stalker.

...Which she wouldn't put quite past him, but that would basically be proof that Kaito and Kazuki were two different people, so she gave up on either of the two being her missing childhood friend.

But that feeling still continued to nag her. She _knew_ he was somewhere, she could almost feel _his_ presence near her.

And it eventually hit her that that feeling came from Conan.

She refused to believe it at first, of course. Teens reverting back to seven-year olds was impossible, that kind of thing only existed in books and movies. It was the peak of science-fiction, right after aliens and laser swords. But Conan was almost always around, and would always stick close to her, and always made that sad face- actually, it looked more like a _guilty_ face- when she'd tell him about Kazuki, and then a few hours later he would call out of the blue, and it would cheer her up until the next time she told Conan about how much she missed Kazuki.

But in the end, all she ever did was hear his voice over a phone.

When she'd heard that Conan had been shot, she freaked. Whether he was really Kazuki or really just a kid, both of them meant the world to her, and she'd rushed to the hospital as soon as she could. And when the doctors announced that they didn't have enough blood to save him...there was no thinking. If he was Kazuki, they'd have the same blood-type. If he was Conan, then it'd at least be worth a check. Though her tongue slipped and she very clearly claimed that they had the same blood-type, as if it were a fact. In her mind, he was very clearly Kazuki. And when the doctors found they had the same blood type, it only strengthened her beliefs. Of course, it could've been a simple coincidence- it's not like they had a rare blood type- but she couldn't wrench herself away from what ger guts told her.

_When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth._

But there were still so many other possibilities that could explain where Kazuki was. And of all of them, she decided to go with the most twisted, unrealistic, illogical and absurd solution, with the only evidence to back her up being her gut feeling.

And now, here she was, faced with three people. Conan, who was walking around with a mask ever since he'd been let out of the hospital, and watching everyone with glassy eyes she'd never seen him have before. Then, there was Shinichi, who just stood around arms crossed and carefully watching things unfold.

And then there was Kazuki.

She didn't understand, she _couldn't_ understand- the way he spoke, the way he smirked, the way he dramatically presented his deduction to the police, it was all exactly like Kazuki, it _was _Kazuki, she knew it, she felt it, and watching him do his show and flip a coin so that in landed in the culprit's hood where Heiji was standing and participating in his act- "like a magician's assistant", as Kazuha noted- and suddenly everything that made her believe Kazuki and Conan were the same person flew out of the window.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she could hear something tell her that maybe Kaito was acting as one of them, but she shoved that thought away. She wanted to believe. She wanted him to be here, to finally be _back_-

And in the end, it left her without knowing what to think or where she was supposed to stand.

"You're still so reliable!" Megure beamed at him when the case was finally solved.

Kazuki grinned sheepishly. "Eh, I'm doing okay..."

"How about it?" Megure asked, ignoring her father's comment about him still being better than Kazuki. "You haven't heard a case hearing in a long time, want to go?"

"Ah, no, I'll pass this time," he replied. "I still have some personal business to attend to...ah, and by the way-"

She watched him lean closer to the inspector and whisper something to him so nobody else could hear. The inspector nodded and whispered back with a rather surprised look on his face before heading out of the gym, the rest of the police officers still around following him.

Heiji moved closer to Kazuki as they watched Megure walk away.

"Why didn't you go to the case hearing?" Heiji asked.

"There wasn't any need," Kazuki smiled weakly, shaking his head. "The way a murder is committed is just a riddle written by mankind. As long as someone is there to think about it, the answer will be found. But..." She saw Kazuki frown."... it's sad, isn't it? No matter how hard I try, I can't figure out the reason one person would murder another." She noticed that Kazuki was starting to sweat. Much more than he should. And he was pale. "I can understand it from a logical aspect, but I could never relate...or agree...to..."

Kazuki wavered slightly, and suddenly his kness buckled under his weight, causing him to use his hand and press himself against one of the chairs to keep himself standing. Ran gasped and darted to help him at the same time Heiji did, an Kazuki finally crashed into the row of chairs and onto the floor.

"Kazuki!" she panicked, watching him grit his teeth. He was in pain. He was in _pain_, _why was he in pain?_ "Kazuki!"

"Mouri-san, step back!" Shinichi demanded, crouching beside her and gently pushing her away.

"KAZUKI!"

The pain vanished from his face as Kazuki finally passed out.

* * *

**Actually I guess I CAN believe that I forgot to upload. SO much Pokémon in my life, you have no idea ;A; The love is ridiculous. But anyway, uploading this means I have no more spare chapters left, which means I'll have to get back to writing some more for next month's update. Here's to hoping I can write anything at all, because as I said last time, Pokémon is taking up just about ALL of my brain, to the point where I managed to write eight chapters of that instead of working on this ;w; I should be ashamed. I'm not, but I should be.**

* * *

**DetectiveLion**: Sometimes there are just some things you won't let go until you're finished XD Despite being normally considered the most 'unpredictable' in the story, I think Kaito is actually easiest to write. Being so unpredictable gives you the liberty of making him do just about anything you want with him as long as you follow the set of rules you KNOW he would never breach. Writing Heiji and Saguru is fun, especially as a pair because of the I-hate-you-but you're-my-friend-anyway relationship they have. Shinichi/Kazuki is/are the main character/s, but I think he/they are actually hardest to write for some reason- in here especially, Shinichi is supposed to be more or less a clone of 'Kazuki', all while still coming off as calmer and more mature. But I've never been good at keeping people in-character, so I guess I'll just keep on doing my best and hope it's at the very least believable, even if not quite accurate D:

**Everyone else**: ...Nope, t'was Kazuki *trollface*


End file.
